Higher Stakes
by TheEagerScribbler
Summary: It's been 20 years since the duel between Yugi and Atem and Yugi is no longer the boy that he was. When the spirit of the ring returns to finish what he started in the ancient past Yugi and his friends face their most terrifying challenge yet. The stakes have never been higher, and for the first time Yugi is forced to wonder if faith will really be enough to save them all.
1. When your past comes back to haunt you

_**Important Note:**_

If there's only one note you read in this entire story please read this one because I would like to avoid confusion. I am blending the anime with the manga. I will use personalities in the English dub, but I will use the manga in order to explain some of the back stories. If you'd like a guide to English vs. Japanese names let me know!

Please be aware that I've shipped YugixTea and JoeyxMai and that it's been twenty years since the Pharaoh entered the afterlife, so I've had to fill in events between the dub and now. I promise that it won't become a next gen saves the world story.

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes Chapter 1:When your past comes back to Haunt You

 _Yugi…remember that darkness cannot triumph as long as you believe…_

Yugi stopped where he was, turned around, and grabbed his deck- his daughter was in danger. His title was both a blessing and a curse and had made him the target of thieves and vessels of jealousy and darkness who wanted to dethrone him. But there had been times when he had to fight the shadows and the darkness within him. For all that the Pharaoh had been his other self, his shadowed half; he too had a dark side. It had been there long before he met the pharaoh, nudging at him to take revenge against his tormentors. But he never listened to it, refusing to sink so low. It was times like this, when his family was in danger, where he made sure that this part of him was locked even more securely in the back of his mind.

He opened the door, shut it, and then closed his eyes and started running without hesitation. Somehow his feet always knew where to go, even though his mind had no real idea. After a second he opened them and began to scan the streets for his daughter.

There were kids chasing each other gleefully, litter scattered on the sidewalks, and the odd stray cat, but not his kid until he heard a yell. It wasn't one of distress; it was more like a battle cry.

"You guys think you're so tough because you happen to pull some illegal combo?" Somehow he managed to run faster and he found his daughter dueling against a cloaked duelist. Tendrils of shadows surrounded the opponent. There was a number of things that Yugi wanted to say, but having been in a number of duels where the odds were stacked against him he knew that it would only make things worse. He had two options. He could either step in, or encourage her. Stepping in wasn't an option, no matter how much he wished it was. If he were to step in the 'duelist' (no true duelist would ever stoop so low.) who was clearly using shadow magic would use it as an excuse to end the duel.

"Akari! Remember the Heart of the Cards!"

She turned around with a smile that he was sure was meant to hide her fear. "Dad!" If only he could take over for her he would in a heart beat.

"Yes, I'm here." So she did know that she was in deep trouble. Usually Yugi was able to keep her away from dangerous situations, and it was painful to watch his baby girl fight a shadow duel-the use of shadow magic was a bad omen as it was. He hadn't seen one since Egypt… "Listen to me! You can do this. Don't give up hope-like Joey always says "it's not over 'til the last point is gone". I won once with half of a point left!"

She nodded. "I'll make you proud!"She then turned around and faced her opponent. "Fine! I'll lay one card face down and summon Gemini Elf in face up attack position and attack your life points directly!" The man grimaced.

"With that I'll end my turn."

A dark grin crossed the man's face. "First off, I'll activate dark snake syndrome. This will take away life points directly, and the number doubles each turn. Then I'll end my turn." The duel had better end quickly she only had 800 life points left and the mystery duelist had 2500 life points left. If she didn't win in the next four turns she'd lose-and that was without monster damage. Next I'll summon one monster in face down defense mode. And attack your life points again."

"I activate spell binding circle! Give up little girl. There's no way you'll defeat me-I have the power of shadows on my side!" If it was possible the shadows around them only grew thicker.

Eyes narrowed in determination, Akari looked straight at him with determination. "Then I will make the darkness disappear!"

"And how do you plan to do that?" He laughed. "You're just a child!"

"With the heart of the cards!"

His grin was predatory. "The Heart of the cards can't help you now!"

"We'll see about that!"

"Now I will summon my Zombie master and attack your face down monster!"

The card flipped to reveal the mystical elf! So she had been using the cards he had given her…

"Your Zombie master is destroyed! Not much of a master is he?"

"It's your turn-not that you can win anyway. You've just lost a quarter of your life points!"

"Oh?" She closed her eyes and mouthed something. She smirked in a very teenage fashion. "I send my monsters to the graveyard in order to summon the Dark Magician. Do your thing!"

"If that's really you Mahad, please protect her," he whispered. Mahad had once been one the pharaoh's guardians and Yugi still felt drawn to the card that resembled the monster that Mahad's soul was infused with. He nodded and attacked the life points, leaving him with 100 life points left.

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Now he was really panicked. It was obvious that he was running scenarios in his head, and judging from the look on his face none of them were in his favor.

"I'm not letting a little punk like you beat me! I'll activate another spellbinding circle and then I'll end it. There's no way you can beat me in the next turn!"

That left her with 200 life points. This was her last chance. Yugi had faith in her, but the father in him was terrified. What if she didn't draw the right cards?

This time another smirk appeared and Yugi was relieved."You wanna bet? Fine, I'll use my Ookazi to finish off the rest of your life points!"

"Well Yugi's daughter, it seems I'll be greeting my master early. He has a message for your father. "He says to say hello to his host and tell him that he should be expecting a visit soon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she wondered. At first he was wondering the same thing when it occurred to him. It could only mean Yami Bakura was back. But that wasn't something to tell a fourteen year old. So he put on a smile and turned to face her.

"Now that the duel was over he ran up to her and hugged her. "It's over. I'm proud of you-you stood your ground!"

They stood back and she asked, "What was that?"

The question exited and terrified Yugi. "We can't talk now. When we get back home I'll explain what was going on." Without another word he took her hand and led her down the alley ways and into the shadows beside buildings to keep them out of sight until they got home. The alley ways were a calculated risk of course, he knew that someone could be waiting for them there too but wished to avoid the attention drawn from waltzing down crowded, well lit roads.

Once they were at home he ushered her inside, locked all of the doors, closed the blinds. He made them both tea and sat her down on the couch so that he could begin his tale. It was complicated to explain, and maybe even a little painful to bring up, so he was almost certain that he'd mangle the explanation too badly for her to truly understand what had happened to her.

"The game that we call Duel Monsters is based on an ancient form of battle using creatures that were…" He tried to think of the right way to put it, "a physical manifestation of a person's soul. The duel that you just had, where your soul was at stake, that was similar to how duels were played in Ancient Egypt." Her eyebrows shot up. He could tell that she was wondering what that had to do with anything. "That game that you were playing was called a shadow game. If you had lost…your soul would have been locked away in the shadow realm, where you would be forced to live your worst fears." Her eyes grew rounder and she gasped-apparently she hadn't known what was at stake.

"You mean that I was challenged to a game of ancient Egyptian duel monsters? Why would anyone bother with me?"

This was the part that he was dreading. He had put off telling her about the shadow realm and his journeys with the Pharaoh because he had been afraid that she would become a target. The world may have safe from Zork, and the shadow games may have been sealed off with the tomb, but crazies hadn't gone away. People still envied his title and it seemed as though the less she knew until she was old enough to understand the gravity of his situation, the better. "You were challenged because someone was looking for a way to get to me. Our past is…" How should he put it? "...connected to an Ancient Pharaoh who saved the world, so some people might see me as their enemy." He sighed with frustration and disappointment. "I'm sorry. I never meant to put you through this."

Akari stared at him in a way that suggested his whole story sounded insane and he couldn't blame her. It all must have sounded far too mythological to possibly be real. Sometimes his teenage years reminded him of one the books that her friends enjoyed reading."I think that's enough for right now. You need to rest. The rest can wait for another day." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You're safe now. You've won the duel, that's what matters." Truthfully he had no idea how to comfort her-normally he would dive into a situation head first because he knew that if he thought about the fear doing what needed to done would only be more difficult, but this was different. He didn't even know what situation he was supposed to be diving into.

"So it's over now?" she pleaded.

He drew her into a hug. "It will be soon, I promise. They were after me, not you. I've dealt with his kind before. Everything will end up alright." It had to.

That night Yugi couldn't sleep. He had forgotten what it was like to be afraid the way that he was then. How had lived with that fear so constantly as a teenager? He refused to even think that she may be drawn into the same dark games that he played at her age.

He went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face in hopes of clearing his head. The cool water felt good, but didn't help at all. He looked up at the mirror.

"What do I do, pharaoh? My daughter's in danger because of us..." he paused, "Today was too close. It can't happen again!"

Suddenly the phone fell of the night stand. "You want me to call somebody?" and then it came to him, "Joey! I'll call Joey!"

Without thinking about the numbers he dialed his long time friend.

"You'd better have a good reason for calling me this early in the morning. If you're one of those kids that's been prank calling me I'm call'en the authorities and then-"

"Joey, it's Yugi!"

"Yugi?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, something's happened."

"What is it Yugi? This had better be good. Right now you're keep'en me away from my beauty rest."

"No Joey, it's not good. Today my daughter was in a shadow game."

"A shadow game?"

"A shadow game. She won, but her opponent said that his master had a message for me. He says to 'say hello to his host and tell him that he should be expecting a visit soon'".

The other line was silent.

"You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. Does that mean what I think it means?"

"The Thief King is back."

Author's Note:. Right now I've finished the first ten chapters and am working on chapter eleven, but I wanted to post the first chapters and see what people think. I might go back and re-edit eventually, but for now I hope you've enjoyed this chapter enough to read on and review! Thanks for taking the time to read my story!

-ForeverLily


	2. A Bittersweet reunion

Hi readers,

I hope you enjoy chapter two. I especially liked writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it too.

-ForeverLilly

**Also, According to Wikipedia, "ankh, wedja, seneb" means life, prosperity, health. It was used with the names of the Pharaoh.

Higher Stakes Chapter 2: A bittersweet reunion

Yugi couldn't wait to get home. It was cold, the rain was assaulting him with large bullets, and his daughter was waiting for him for him to come home from work. There was something unsettling about the evil looking darkness in the sky. Maybe it was his time with the Pharaoh that made him a little paranoid, but nevertheless he picked up the pace.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure cloaked in black come towards him. He hurried yet again but before he knew it something hard was pressed to his head.

"You are not to yell; do you understand me?" he couldn't remember hearing the voice before, but it felt familiar.

Yugi visualized the coolness of the Pharaoh's face when he dueled and took a breath. "I understand."

"Tell me where I can find the Nameless Pharaoh." He opened up his mouth to lie but he was silenced. That man was radiating smugness. It was clear that he had the advantage, and Yugi didn't like it one bit.

"I feel that I must inform you that it is in your own best interest to tell the truth. How easy it would be to find your precious daughter and give her a little greeting. Or maybe your wife would prefer a visit instead? I hear she is quite a charming woman, I would very much like to meet her."

Violence wasn't in Yugi's nature-that was what drew him to Duel monsters as young man as way to settle conflicts without fighting-but this was one of the handful of times in his life that he wanted to deck someone. "I won't."

A click sounded near his ear. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if I knew, which I don't. Thieves, historians, and archaeologists have all been searching for five thousand years. If they haven't found it, what makes you think that I could?"

"You've even more stubborn than I remember Yugi. You look like him too-you've quite clearly grown out of your shrimpy stage."

A gasp escaped before he could stop it. "Who are you?"

"Why Yugi, I'm hurt that you don't remember me. But I do suppose that is has been quite a while. Five thousand years, perhaps?" A cloak bearing a striking resemble to the one worn by the Rare Hunters was thrown to the floor. It revealed a man with snowy hair and pale skin and a look in his eyes that he'd recognize anywhere.

"Yami Bakura! How did you -"

"Escape the shadows? The shadows know me Yugi. Instead of tormenting me they helped me to find my way back here. I _will_ have my revenge on the Pharaoh; I will steal the millennium items. Even if he is gone he will know-A part of him will always be connected to the puzzle just like a part of me will always be connected the ring. But enough stalling Yugi, give me the location of the tomb and I'll let your family live."

"Never," he growled.

"Then what shall I do with you? I could always send you to the shadow realm, but I've grown rather fond of these…" he waved the metallic gun around. "Perhaps I'll duel you for old time's sake."

The assumption didn't surprise Yugi, but he didn't carry a deck everywhere anymore. The realization caused dread to fall into the pit of his stomach. He was done for. "I don't have a deck on me."

The formerly Great Thief King nearly dropped his gun. "The Great King of Games doesn't carry a deck around with him?"

"It's been a long time. I have a son that's that same age that I was when I met you. I've taken over my grandfather's business and I have a family. I duel for fun sometimes, but my life hasn't been in danger since the world of the Pharaoh's memories."

Once again Yami Bakura stared at him with barely concealed shock. "Well…" Yugi reconsidered, "There was that one guy during that tournament…but I haven't had to worry about that in a long time."

"Then tell me where it is!" Bakura demanded. "If you tell me I might consider letting you live."

"I told you, I don't know!"

Bakura pointed the gun at Yugi's chest. "Any last words?"

This was it. He was going to die and now he had just condemned his family to the same fate. His heart pounded in his chest. "My family has nothing to do with this-"

A bang echoed down the dark alley way that he couldn't remember walking to and felt a sudden intense pain in his chest before falling to the ground.

When Yugi woke up was on a bed breathing in balmy air that smelled of exotic spices that he couldn't name.

"Yugi." The voice was deep, affectionate, and tinged with bittersweet happiness. It was a voice that he could not bring himself to forget no matter how many times he wished he could in hopes of making the pain go away.

"Pharaoh?" He tried to sit up and was met with intense pain. Gentle hands pushed him down. "Easy Yugi, do you remember what happened?"

"No Pharaoh I don't…I've been shot." It sounded so strange. In the many times that he had confronted the possibility of his own death he had never even considered a gun.

Atem nodded."That's right. The Thief King shot you in the chest. You're lucky that he missed any vital organs. Otherwise, you'd be dead."

Yugi was confused. How had he survived that? "You mean I'm not dead?"

"No Yugi, you're not. You're here because you'll recover faster here. You are family Yugi, and such bonds are sacred, that is why I was able to bring you here."

The Pharaoh smiled sadly."The last time I saw you, you were little more than a child. You could barely fathom taking a girl on date to burger world. Now you're a grown man."

Yugi smiled widely. He couldn't stop the feeling of giddiness that overwhelmed him." I wasn't that young! But still…A lot has changed since then. I've married my soul mate and we have a daughter named Akari. She's the best thing that's ever happened to us, so it's only fitting that we'd give her a name that means light. She's the best part of Tea and I. She has her mother's kindness and my stubbornness." He smiled. "We've agreed that our first son-if we have one-will be named Joseph. If it's a girl she'll be named Mai."

"Who is it, if you don't mind me asking? It's Tea isn't it?"Yugi grinned.

This time the pharaoh smiled a real, joyful smile, one that did not hint at the bittersweet memory of the last time they had seen each other. He was genuinely happy for Yugi. "I'm glad that you've finally decided to stop being so dense. I was worried that she'd give up on you."

"You knew and you didn't tell me?"

"It was something that you needed to find out for yourself. Honda figured it out. Even _Joey_ knew. I knew that you would too, eventually."

Suddenly something occurred to Yugi. "Wait a minute, if I'm here…my family's still in danger." Yugi jerked up again and caused himself more pain.

The Pharaoh pushed him back into bed. "You need to stop doing that Yugi. You're here to recover, not get worse. They are fine. Mahad and Mana are watching over them. In most circumstances we can't directly interfere but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves."

Yugi didn't pretend to understand everything that was happening to him. For all he knew, days could have passed or it could only have been seconds. "So how does all of this work?"

"Hm?"

"You know, I'm here, so does that mean that I've just disappeared and everything's happening at the same time as there? Or is there a difference in the way time works here? There has to be some sort of difference; you don't look like you've changed a bit!"

"You may not be dead but I am. But yes, there is something to the theory that time isn't the same here. I can't explain it myself, but it seems that time passes more slowly here than…" there was a short pause in which the pharaoh tried to find the most tactful way to put it, "where you're from."

Yugi really liked the sound of that. Less time passing meant that there was still a chance to protect his family. He hoped…

"What now? Am I supposed to wait while they are in danger?"

"No Yugi, you just have to wait for Isis to arrive. Normally injuries like these require magic to heal, but because Mahad and Mana are both protecting your family, Isis will treat you instead. After you are successfully healed you may leave." The way he narrowed his eyes told Yugi that he meant business. It was the same face that he wore when someone put them in danger. In this case he must have considered Yugi a danger to himself.

Atem pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. "It looks like you could use the rest anyway. You're almost as busy as I am!" Yugi stared and when Atem saw the expression on his face he laughed. "You, Tea, Tristan, and Joey will always be my friends. I like to keep up with what you're doing-it's nice to know that everything's alright there. You run the shop, take care of your grandfather, raise your children, make appearances at the duel academy, and attend Kaiba's and Pegasus' tournaments…it's a wonder that you even find the time to sleep."

A smile crept across Yugi's face. "Actually, I don't duel as much anymore. My family and the shop come first. Things got so hectic that I was afraid of losing sight of what's important, so I cut back. It's not easy…but I love my life. I wouldn't have it any other way. Not even this…" gestured towards the still bleeding wound. "It brought me here didn't it? I never turn down a chance to see my old friends."

"I never hoped to see you like this…I had hoped that you'd be old and grey and die surrounded by grand children playing card games on motorcycles."

"What?"

"The point is that you're supposed to live a long time-preferably without being injured on my behalf. Thank you Yugi, for keeping my secret, although I would have understood if you could not keep it. You have a family to look after."

Yugi was insulted. "I'm not a child anymore. Sometimes we have to be willing to stand up for ourselves and…stick to our guns," he smiled.

The joke made the pharaoh unhappy, clearly, because his face grew grim as he stood up. "I must leave for a few moments. I will return shortly with Isis."

"Alright," he nodded. "Thank you."

In about five minutes (according to Yugi's best guess) the Pharaoh returned with Isis, as promised.

Isis looked exactly the same as the last time he had seen her. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard much about you." Isis greeted him. "And might I say, you look remarkably like our Pharaoh! Yugi, please lay down. I am not a healer, but I do have some skill with healing."

With hands placed just above the wound whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear, "Great goddess Isis, I your humble servant, ask that you grant me the gift of healing so that I may serve the pharaoh as I have sworn to do in all things."

She laid her hand over yugi's heart and closed her eyes. "Ankh, wedja, seneb!"

Before his eyes the wound began to close. Although he tried not to think about it, he could feel it He ignored his discomfort and looked from his leg to Isis in astonishment. "Incredible! You did it!"

"I am no healer, so I am afraid that it will scar, but what matters is that your health has much improved."

"Thank you Priestess Isis; I owe you my life," Yugi said with a bow of gratitude.

In response Isis bowed to him. "There is no need to bow to me. You are the one who should be honored, not me. You were the vessel of our Pharaoh. It was you who saved his soul."

Yugi smiled a bittersweet smile. He remembered how he was bullied as a child. Years of that sort of treatment could leave someone cold, distrustful, and frightened. It could twist you into a bitter person and leave a permanent stain. It was the Pharaoh who built him up into a more confident, more determined person and kept that from happening. "And he saved mine. I will never forget that." When he saw the pharaoh hovering in the doorway he knew that he would have to leave soon.

"I'm ready."

His old friend put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you are. Go in peace with my blessing and my support! I may not be there in person, but I will always be by your side."

"I know," Yugi said with a smile. "Now we, uh, I mean _I_ should go. I need to stop Bakura!"

A flash of bright light lit the room and Yugi found himself standing where he had earlier encountered Yami Bakura. "I need to find them fast!" He muttered under his breath, and then he took off running towards his house. Luckily he knew an alternate short cut that he doubted Bakura knew. He was wrong. One should never underestimate the King of Thieves.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you're still alive. I imagine that you're still standing here thanks to… divine intervention," He smirked, "But you can hardly be so lucky a second time."

This time Yugi actually agreed with him. Luck had to run out some time. Well, if he was going to die, he was going to die defending his family with everything he had, which admittedly wasn't much at the moment. The Ally had nothing that could double as weapon, since when were alleys supposed to be clean? Weren't they supposed to be littered with trash or something?

He saw a brief flash of light and took it as a sign. Suddenly he was aware of something heavy in his pocket.

"Well Bakura, it seems like the tide has turned," he smirked.

The man appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "And why is that?"

"Because I have this!" He pulled two cards. He didn't know if it would work, maybe their spirits were still with his family, but he had to give it a shot. "Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, I summon you. Please come to my aid!"

They appeared in front of him with a respectful nod.

With a smirk, Bakura grabbed the Diabound card and held it up."Well then, if that's the case…Diabound, take care of these two once and for all!"

Yugi took a deep breath to steady his nerves and prepared to defend himself any moment. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and narrowed his eyes. Although it had never occurred to him before, being in his current position was like stepping into old shoes. It came way more naturally to him than he ever hoped it would for daughter. He was proud of himself as a kid, but as a parent, he would have been terrified if it had been his kid risking his soul in mad men's games. "Give it up Bakura. You lost the first two times-you aren't going to win again."

Bakura laughed. "And who will stop me?"

"I will."

"With your two puny magicians? If I recall I'm the reason they are in this form in the first place."

Someone like Bakura who had been steeped in the darkness for so long was incapable of understanding that the strongest force in the world could transcend even death."You're wrong Bakura! They chose to stay behind in this form because of the strength of their loyalty and friendship, things you'd know nothing about! Friendship is stronger than any hatred. Haven't you learned that by now?" Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, you know what to do!" Yugi was startled. For a moment he felt as though his words weren't his own, and thought that he saw someone standing by his side.

"Without the puzzle you're worthless!" He taunted. "You're still the same scared little boy. You should give up now and save yourself the trouble."

"You're wrong. I don't need the puzzle anymore in order to be strong. I get my strength from my friends and my family. No amount of distance could take away everything that the Pharaoh has taught me!"

Light filled the ally and dust began to swirl into the air. Diabound was nowhere to be seen, and Bakura was unconscious. For some reason Yugi himself felt exhausted too. He pushed the feeling away. He couldn't afford to focus on that. He had been in worse condition before and there were things that needed to be done.

Dark Magician girl turned towards Yugi and smiled apologetically. "By ourselves we aren't strong enough to defeat Diabound, but we've bought you some time."

Dark Magician added, "He will be unable to access his ka to use Diabound, but the effect is only temporary. One day he must be confronted. It does not have to be you-you've done much for the pharaoh-but someone must face him."

It had to be Yugi, even if he did it alone. After his time with the Pharaoh and everything he had done for him, after all of his experience fighting for the safety of his friends and the world he felt that he was the one who had the duty to fight and the best chance of survival."We'll be ready." Yugi said with determination. If his deck had to come out of retirement so be it.

Mahad bowed reverently.

"Thank you Yugi, both for defending our Pharaoh and for what you've done for him." Mana said with a smile.

"What?"

She paused, trying to find the right way to phrase it. "He was my friend before, but he had a sort of harshness that he hasn't had since he met you. He's become a warmer person, and it's all thanks to you!" At first Yugi had wanted to protest, but she was right about his harshness. There had been a time when the Pharaoh had believed that the ends justified the means no matter the cost, and it had frightened him. To think that someone so ruthless had occupied his body for any amount of time had terrified him. What Yugi didn't add was that it wasn't just Yugi that had brought about the change in him. All of their friends were there to support him.

"Mana, please be more careful about what you say about the Pharaoh!" Mahad chastised. "That is not for you to judge! Being pharaoh is a great responsibility, and he had many worries on his shoulders. However," he added, "I am inclined to agree with her. He has grown stronger because of you. So thank you." He then turned to face his pupil.

"Now come, student, we have work to attend to."

Mana pouted. "Aw! I wanted to-"

"Mana!" He shot a harsh glare.

She sighed. "Yes teacher."  
"I haven't been your teacher in a long time. Thank the gods for that!"

"But you'll always be my favorite teacher!" she winked. Together they vanished without a trace.

Yugi wondered briefly about what they had been doing for all this time. Almost as soon as he thought it he changed focus. "I need to go home to make sure they're safe." He ran home faster than he could ever remember running. He took every short cut and alley that he could think of. "Please let them be okay," he desperately panted as he rounded the corner to his home.

He twisted the door knob and found that it was locked. He stuck his key I in the lock and turned. He wasn't sure what he would find. His heart pounded as he twisted the knob and entered. Broken glass from the lamp littered the floor and there were strange marks on the walls. Were those burn marks?

He made his way to the broom closet guessing that Tea had probably hid there.

Before he could register what was going he felt something cold pressing against his neck. "What have you done with Yugi!" She yelled.

"Tea, it's me! I'm so glad you're safe. I was so worried about you!"

"Liar! Yugi's dead. Bakura said so!" She shouted.

He gave a nervous laugh. "Since when do you believe anything that comes out of his mouth? I'm alive and I'm standing right here. The Pharaoh saved me!" The hands that had been restraining him were removed.

"Oh Yugi!" She dropped the knife and engulfed him in a tight hug. You're safe! Akari and I were so worried about you!"

"How is she?"

"She's too much like you. When Bakura and his henchmen showed up at the house she grabbed your deck while I grabbed the knife and tried to fight him. The Dark Magician and Dark Magician girl protected us."

"I'm just glad she's okay!"

"Dad?" A voice called from behind him. "You're back!" The girl ran up to her dad and hugged him. "You're okay! He told us you were dead, but I knew you were alive the whole time!"

"Yes, I'm fine. They're gone for now. I'll explain everything in the living room, I promise."

So the family sat down on the couch. Yugi and his wife exchanged questioning glances. Exactly how much did their sixteen year old need to know?

"Akari, I need you to promise me something."

"Promise me that you won't interrupt. It's a long and complicated story."

"Okay." And so, with Tea's hand resting on his knee he began to tell the story of Atem.

"So much has happened at once that we didn't want to overwhelm you with too much information at once, but now I think that it's time to tell you about the Pharaoh." He had her attention now. She had been pestering him for information since that night she was cornered into a shadow game, but he was hesitant to tell her because he wasn't sure how to handle it. Would she have been safer if she could claim plausible deniability? Now that his theory had been proven wrong he had no choice. "Around five thousand years ago seven items were created by a pharaoh to protect Egypt. These items, known as the millennium items, each had a specific ability that could only be harnessed by someone who was fated to use them. Although these items could be used for something good, they came at a terrible cost. These items are called the millennium items. I've told you about them before, right?"

"Like the puzzle that Bakura guy kept going on about?"

"Yes. I used to wear one. You can it see in some of my pictures from high school"

"Awesome! Can I see it?"

"I don't have it anymore. Now, I thought we had agreed on no interruptions?"

Akari smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

"This was back in the time when humans could use their spirits to summon monsters to fight each other, which is the origin of duel monsters. The son of the Pharaoh who created the millennium items became the target for a very clever thief bent on revenge. In order to take his revenge he summoned an evil creature to destroy the world as he knew it. In order to stop this, the Pharaoh sealed his soul inside of the millennium puzzle and his memories and his name were erased from history in order to protect the world."

"How was that supposed to protect us?"She wondered.

That was something that he and the pharaoh had both wondered in the beginning."Think of it like protecting computer files with a password," He responded. "It took five thousand years for them to resurface-my grandpa was a part of the team that found it, so it laid in the back of the shop for years until he gave it to me.

When I put the puzzle together I awoke the spirit of the pharaoh. We became friends, and your mom, Uncle Tristan, Uncle Joey and I helped him to get his memories back and discover his name. It wasn't easy-we had to obtain and protect all of the millennium items and then take them to Egypt in order to enter the world of his memories. That meant that we had to fight off people who wanted the power for themselves. One of the biggest threats was spirit of the millennium ring, who had tried to destroy the world. One of my schoolmates became the owner of millennium ring, which meant that when we made it to Egypt and went into the past he was the one we fought. I'm not sure how he came back, but that was him you saw tonight, not Bakura. Somehow the ring found it's way back to Bakura and took over his body. He's gone for now, but he'll be back. Mana and Mahad said that they were able to temporarily keep Bakura from using Diabound, but it won't stop him permanently."

"Who's Mana and Mahad?"

"The magicians who protected you and your mom. Mana and Mahad were magicians who served the Pharaoh. They died protecting him, and they took the form of their duel spirits, which we call the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. When Bakura shot me-"

Tea gasped and immediately ran to him and began checking for injuries."He shot you? Why didn't you tell you idiot? We need to get you to the-"

"It's healed."

"What?"

"When I nearly died I spoke to the Pharaoh and Isis saved me."

"Oh Yugi!" a tear slid down her cheek. "We came so close to losing you!"

Yugi squeezed her hand. "You didn't. The Pharaoh was looking out for us. He sent Mana and Mahad to help us."

"Why didn't you tell me all of this before now?" Akari asked with wide eyes.

"It's dangerous. We had to wait until you were old enough to understand how serious this is. Some of the stuff we did as teenagers was very dangerous. Do you remember text books talking about that odd phenomenon where duel monster look-alikes took over the city? Did they tell you about that time the weather began acting strange and it was as dark as night for several days?"

He nodded. "Both of the those times the world was about to end." That first time was a Prince of Atlantis trying to destroy the world, the second time was the being summoned by the Thief nearly destroying the world."

"Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'. I'm not telling you this to frighten you."

Tea added, "We just want to protect you. For now you'll need to carry your deck with you at all times. With that being said, we expect that you'll turn around and run unless there is no other choice, do you understand?"

"Mom! You and dad both saved the world when you were teenagers."

"And we nearly died and had our souls stolen. We don't want you to have to go through what we did." Yugi firmly said.

Tea added,"They may try to force you into a shadow game, which is why you need a deck that you believe in. Pay close attention at the duel academy from now on."

Yugi nodded in agreement and added, "Never go anywhere alone, always carry your cellphone, and always tell us where you are. Okay?"

"Okay, so now what?"

"We prepare. I'll make a few calls to my friends in Egypt. This time we'll be ready. He'll try to challenge us again and we cannot let him win!"

"Alright! We'll totally kick his-"

"Language!" Tea chastised.

"If by we you mean your mother, uncles, aunts and I, then yes. _You_ will stay away from all of this."

"But dad!" whined Akari. "I'm a duelist. I can help too!"

"No buts! This is going to be dangerous and we don't want you anywhere near it." If Yugi had to play the bad guy then so be it. There was no way his daughter was getting involved in all of this.

"Fine. I'm going to go do some homework."

Tea turned to Yugi. "Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Since when does she do her summer assignments without being badgered?"

"I guess we're both going insane then."

"Yugi…" Tea trailed off.

"Yes Tea?"

"Did you really see him?"

"Yes."

"Oh Yugi!" She threw her arms around him. "That must have been hard for you."

He held her and took comfort in the soft floral perfume she was wearing. He had never been so terrified, but his visit with the Pharaoh had helped him to gather his courage. So even though had been a little sad, seeing the pharaoh had hardly been hard for him. In some ways it was as natural breathing or blinking."We've had years to come to terms with it. "Besides, he's never left us. He's always been with us. Death couldn't stop a friendship like ours," he reassured her. Suddenly it occurred to him that he needed to tell his friends. They were in danger too."Speaking of friends, we need to tell them."

"I'll get Joey on the phone." She quickly dialed his number. "Joey , you'll never believe what's happened!"

Author's Note #2: Hi guys! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I love the Pharaoh's relationship with Yugi-I always saw him as a mentor or maybe an older brother to Yugi. I absolutely loved writing about it. I think that people often underestimate how important friendships are and how much losing them can hurt (I know they never stopped being friends, but parting ways must have hurt them both). That's why I love them meeting again!

Also, I just had to point out how young they were. They were forced into fighting the forces of evil while they were still teenagers. I couldn't imagine watching that happen as a parent, so Yugi is especially horrified at the thought of his own kid going through that. Thanks for reading and please review!

-ForeverLily


	3. Breaking the news

Author's Note: This particular chapter reflects how I think that any parent would feel when dragged into such a dangerous situation with their children on the line. I know that in these shows it's always teenagers that save the world, but I think that the main targets in this story would still be Yugi and his friends because they were the ones who saved the world before and Yugi used to posses the Millennium puzzle. Yugi and the others are very protective over the ones they love, so there was no way that they would let Akari get involved unless someone forces their hand.

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes Chapter 3: Breaking the news

"So you're telling me that Yami Bakura is back?"

Tea nodded. "That's right Joey. Bakura's back, and he's just as nasty as ever. He seems different somehow…but I don't know how to explain it.

"So what do we do now?" Mai asked. It was slightly disturbing to her how calm everyone seemed-they were treating the situation like it was a routine thing for them.

Yugi answered, "Ishizu needs to know. Hopefully she'll be able to hide the other items and mislead Bakura if he comes too close. After that…we just wait and see. I'm sure trouble will find us again somehow…it usually does." There was no way that Bakura would be gone for long not when he knew that he had the advantage.

"That's right bro! We'll do this thing together, just like in the good old days!" exclaimed Tristan. "This time I'm more prepared." He learned duel monsters after they returned from Egypt. They all needed something to take their minds off of the Pharaoh's departure and he said that he was tired of being forced to watch when his friends were backed into a corner.

Yugi glanced around the room to get a feel for what everyone was thinking. Tea was fiddling with edge of her blouse. She was worried, but that was no surprise. They had all just been attacked. He would have been worried if she was perfectly all right, he knew that he wasn't. Joey and Tristan both wore grave expressions that would have seen foreign on their faces in their youth. This time they knew what they were up against. Mai's eyes were narrowed and determined. She had often expressed her guilt about the Dartz affair and regretted leaving after Battle City. She felt like because she was the oldest and the most experienced Duelist she should have been there.

"And this time I'll be here to help! You guys need another person with common sense. How you guys survived all of that without me is beyond me. I may not have been part of the gang then, but I promise I'll do what I can to help. I kind of liked the other Yugi! He had guts. And unlike a certain someone we know," she elbowed Yugi in chest, "He had a rather lovely dark sense of humor. It was obvious to me that besides Tea, he was the grownup. It was kind of disturbing seeing this cute kid turn into a confident adult while wearing the same face."

"Hey, we weren't little kids you know!"

She elbowed her husband with a playful smile on her face. "Oh please, you boys still act like children. I will say you were fairly mature for teenagers, but you were still teenagers."

"You're not that much older than us Mai." Anzu pointed out.

"I was already in my twenties by the time I met you, and you're parents raising teenagers now. Surely you understand what I mean."

Actually, Yugi did understand what she meant. They were still pretty innocent when they met Mai, but they had stepped up to the plate when they needed to, so they were often treated as adults. "Point taken. That's why I'm doing everything I can to make sure that Akari doesn't get involved."

"I'm agreed. Let's make sure that my favorite niece doesn't get her soul taken by freaks who wanna destroy the world!"

The phone rang before Tea or Yugi could reply. "Yugi, do you have the millennium puzzle?"

"No, I don't. All I know is the Thief king is in the millennium ring again and it has found its way back to Bakura. I'll keep a lookout for any others."

There was a short pause over the phone before she spoke again."Thank you Yugi. Be careful, I fear that the worst has yet to come."

"Wait! Ishizu, what power does the millennium puzzle have without the Pharaoh in it? I just spoke to him, so I'm pretty sure he's still in the afterlife. So why does he want it if it won't be of any use to him?"

"You spoke to him?"She gasped.

"Bakura shot me-I'm fine now, though. The pharaoh brought me…somewhere where he could heal me."

"Bakura shot you!"

He nodded out of habit. "Yes. I'm fine now".

"Be careful. I have reason to believe that the spirit of the millennium ring has allied himself with darkness yet again, and without the pharaoh this may be our most difficult fight yet!"

What could they do without a single millennium item on their side? Both of the times Zork was defeated the combined power of shadow magic and they Egyptian gods had barely been enough to contain him. He looked around the room at his friends, his family, the peaceful little house that they called theirs…he had to fight to protect it, even if it meant losing his life in the process. "You're right. You be careful too. He wanted to know the location of the Pharaoh's tomb, so I wouldn't be surprised if he went looking for you next."

"All right Yugi, we will. Take care and heed my warning. I fear for the world without the power of the millennium puzzle." So did he.

"What did Ishizu say?"

"She's agrees with us. She thinks that Yami Bakura is with _him_ again and doesn't have any more of an idea of what do than we do.

"So that's it then? We're all dead? Just like that!" Tristan shouted in frustration. "Damn it!" He hit the arm of the couch. "We went through all of this once, and now we have to do it again, only this time we're doing it with both hands behind our back!"

"We're not alone Tristan! We do have allies, we just can't see them." He had always believed this, but his experience being healed had proved that his convictions were founded. His pocket burned where his deck was as if to prove his point. "The Pharaoh still watches over us. He saved me, and he sent Mana and Mahad to protect us. Maybe we can't speak to him right now, but we have to believe that things aren't hopeless. We can't afford to keep talking like we've already lost!"

Tristan sighed."Yeah, I guess you're right man. But still, I really liked the guy and everything, but this time we can't rely on him."

"He's right Yugi, this is our fight now. He's done his duty, now it's our turn."

"It's your turn to do what?"

Yugi turned towards the door and saw his daughter standing in the doorway. "What are you doing up? You should go back to bed Akari, you've had a difficult day."

"How could I sleep after all that? Besides, I can hear Uncle Tristan and Uncle Joey with my door shut and my music player on!"

"Sorry kiddo, we'll try to keep it down. You really should go to bed and let the grown ups handle the grown up business." Tristan said dismissively.

Yugi braced himself for her protests. She wouldn't be happy that he talked to her like a child."

Her face gradually turned red and she stopped her foot in indignation. Despite trying so hard to grow up too fast she had never been able to get rid of that habit. Somehow Yugi found it comforting that she could still be his little girl for while longer. "Hey, I'm not kid anymore! I've dueled these guys before and I won! So Daaad, please, let me help! There has got be something that I can do."

Tristan motioned towards the couch. "If you're not going to bed you might well sit down with us."

A smile lit up Akari's face as she sat down next to her mother. "So what is it your turn to do?" She repeated again.

Yugi opened his mouth, but closed it again. It was their time to save the world? It was their turn to risk their lives? Their turn to sacrifice themselves? What was he supposed to tell her? "It's our turn to stand up for ourselves and do what is right. Before you get any ideas, us is your mom, aunts and uncles and I. Even if you were an adult, this isn't your fight. They're coming after us because of our ties to the Pharaoh, so they won't be satisfied until they confront me."

"But didn't you do that before?"

"We faced it together. But back then, the Pharaoh took the lead. Now it's our turn!" Joey added.

Mai's eyes flitted around the room. When she sensed the tension, she added lightheartedly, "Look at it this way, this time we all know what we're up against and we've had the benefit of experience. I don't know about you all, but I'm twice the duelist that I was back then! This time I won't be so easy to beat!"

"She has a point ya know. No one's been able to call me a dog for a long time."

"Didn't Seto call you that yesterday?"Tea laughed.

"Well, he's the exception. Old habits die hard and all that."

"Dog? Why would anyone call you that?" Akari asked in confusion.

No one knew how to answer that without hurting Joey's feelings. Mai leaned forward almost conspiratorially. "Listen Kiddo, I hate to break it to you, but your Uncle…let's just say that he used to be all bark and no bite when came to dueling."

"Hey!"Joey protested.

"But he had heart, and he eventually got better. He learned really fast, and now look at him, he's near the top of the league!" She patted his arm affectionately. "He's still not as good as me as course, but not everyone can be as talented and as beautiful as me!" She winked.

Everyone laughed and Joey muttered under his own breath, "My own wife!"

Tristan elbowed Joey and laughed, "Hey man, you knew what you were getting when you married her."

"Yeah." His annoyed expression turned into a gentle smile. "I wouldn't have her any other way…"

Yugi glanced at his phone in order to see what time it was. It was already after midnight. "You really should go to bed Akari. It's after midnight and tomorrow's a school night."

"But you haven't even told me your plan." That was because they didn't have a real plan, unless waiting counted.

"We're waiting for them to make the first move while we do some investigating."

"That's it?"

Tea squeezed her daughter's hand. "Sweetie, there's nothing else we can do right now. For now we need to be careful. We'll drive you to school and back, and we'll set up cameras in the shop. You can do your part by not going off alone. When you're at school don't go anywhere alone. Okay?"

"Fine," she sighed. "I hate waiting." So did he.

"Come on, I think all of us should try to sleep. Losing sleep won't do us any good."

That night Yugi wasn't able to sleep right away. His wife was thoroughly exhausted from the day's events and had fallen asleep only moments after her head had hit the pillow, but he had too much on his mind. This was a frequent occurrence for him because his brain always tried to go into overdrive when all he wanted to do was sleep.

 _What do we do Atem? Tristan had a point when he said it was like fighting with both hands behind our back. The last time we needed Shadow magic to defeat them. What are we supposed to do without that? My daughter needs to know that everything's gonna to be alright, but can I honestly say that's true? I don't know if you can hear my thoughts anymore, but if you can…please help us come up with something. I know you can't directly interfere, we could really use some ideas._

Slowly exhaustion took over and he fell asleep.

"Yugi, all is not lost." Yugi found himself face to face with the Pharaoh.

"I thought you couldn't interfere directly?"

"Most of the time I may only communicate with you in small ways, but at times of great danger I may contact you." Yugi nodded in understanding.

"I heard your plea Yugi. I have spoken with Ishizu, I am not sure how the shadow games were released again-they should have left your world when I did. She believes that Bakura's escape from the shadow realm may have released shadow magic. The only way to banish it is to defeat him."They had guessed as much.

"I met up with everyone to discuss what happened today."

"And?"

"We think that…that Zorc might be involved. There was no way that we could have stopped him for good. How can you defeat the embodiment of darkness? Bakura said that he escaped because of the shadows, so it seems reasonable that he had help."

"I hope you are wrong Yugi."

"Yeah, so do we." Yugi sighed. "What are we supposed to do without Shadow magic? The last time it took the magic of the Millennium Puzzle and the Egyptian Gods, and now…wait! I almost forgot. I received a call from Ishizu Ishtar today. She wanted to know if I had the puzzle. We've been trying to figure out what could they want with the puzzle? What power could it possibly have now that the items have been laid to rest?" He had never had the puzzle without the Pharaoh, and they mostly used it for purposes of switching who inhabited his body, so he had no idea what the full capabilities of the puzzle were.

The pharaoh considered his question for a moment. He knitted his eyebrows into the grave expression that he was so familiar with. "The millennium puzzle is first and foremost a conduit for shadow magic. It's other abilities stem from this. If it is still able to access shadow magic, which seems fairly likely, he will be able to have greater control over shadow magic, cast illusions, have measure of control of the human mind and soul, and begin shadow games. The part of his soul that was hidden away from the puzzle has been destroyed, so I do not believe that the puzzle will allow him to access the full extent of his abilities because he will not be recognized as worthy of using the puzzle. If were anyone else it would cast his soul back into the shadow realm, but because he already has the millennium ring he will most likely be granted some amount of control over it."

Did Bakura already have the puzzle? The ring was buried in the ruins of the sanctuary along with the rest of the items, so if he had one he must have a chance to get the others. The Pharaoh really did seem to be able to read his mind and answered his unspoken question.

"No, he doesn't have it. When we realized what he intended Mana and Mahad were able to shield the rest from his sight and hid them in a new location. The ring was fated to be his, so they were unable to get it away in time. " That bought them some time to come up with another plan. Maybe they could hide them…

"Yugi, you know what you must do."

"Find the puzzle?"

"Yes. You must find the puzzle and wear it. You will be deemed worthy of the puzzle. I believe that because we are connected you may have access to the full extent of its abilities. You are fated to hold it.

"How can you be so sure? I've changed a lot since then."

"We'll just call it a hunch."

"Well, I guess a hunch is better than nothing. I'll take it! But wait, where exactly did they hide the puzzle?"

"If you think about it enough you'll have all of the answer you need. Take care Yugi, I think someone's trying to wake you up."

" Thanks Pharaoh. It seems that we owe you our lives yet again."

"We're friends, remember? You aren't alone in this." The image of the pharaoh became gradually blurrier until he opened his eyes.

"Yugi, wake up! We promised to take Akari to school today, remember?"

Yugi's head was still spinning from his dream. "Huh?"

"We're taking Akari to school today."

"Right. I'll be ready in a minute. Can you go ahead and make sure she's up too? I'll only need a minute to get dressed. After we drop her off there's something I need to tell you."

"I'm on it."

Yugi could hear his wife's shouts of "It's time for school" even with door shut. His daughter had never been much of a morning person, which was puzzling considering that both he and Anzu had been morning people even when they were teenagers. He used to jokingly ask Tea if Akari was really Joey's kid, to which she'd respond with, "Well, I've always meant to tell you about our secret love affair."

He got breakfast on the stove while his wife tried to drag their daughter out of bed and get her ready.

Without any conscious effort his hands moved by themselves. He cracked eggs, put the bacon on the pan, and put toast in the toaster. This was their favorite breakfast, although they did not eat it often because Akari always ran too late to make breakfast. She usually made do with a piece of toast. They needed normality and a chance to be a family. Also, as Joey used to say, you can't fight the forces of darkness on an empty stomach!

He had just finished cooking when Tea came downstairs with Akari.

"Next time it's your turn." Tea said as she kissed him on the cheek before sitting down.

"Dad, I've been wondering…" She trailed off. She had that desperate gleam in her eyes that she only used when she tried to beg him to let her do something she knew he'd say no to.

"What is it Akari? You know you can ask me anything."

"Now that I'm going to be prepared for a duel at any time I was wondering…"

"You want to go to duel Academy."

"Yeah! I need to become a stronger duelist, especially with everything that's going on.

"Because do don't need to go to dueling school to be duelist. We want you to have a more varied education." Tea gently explained. This had been a sore spot for Akari since she turned fifteen and could take the Dueling Academy Entrance Exam. Both Tea and Yugi had agreed that it would be a better idea for her to attend a regular high school and then receive tutoring later.

"But you're the King of Games! You run a game shop. I don't get why you won't let me go!" She whined.

"Akari, you're a great duelist even without attending a dueling Academy. I became King of Games while attending a regular school, and I still hold the title. We don't want you to attend because you'd be safer that way. Although I'm not sure why, some people insist treating me like a celebrity. Wet thought that it would make things more difficult for you. We want everyone to know that you earned your victories, and that you have achieved success on your own merit."

"Dad, things were different then. All of the top duelists under the age of 30 for the past decade have gone there!"

"Our answer is no. Even if you were going now I'd pull you out anyway. Right now Bakura knows very little about our lives, which means that the moment he hears about Duel Academy he's going to assume that you go there because you're my daughter."

She moved her eggs around her plate with her chopsticks before she ate them. "Do you really think he'd attack a school." Yugi and Tea looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes," she said. "You've seen some of what he's capable of, but we've seen him do much worse."

"We're not telling you this to scare you, but-"

"I need to be careful, have my deck on me at all times, and never let myself be caught anywhere alone. Yeah, I know. This is probably like, what, the third time in 24 hours that you've told me that Dad."

"Actually I was going to say that you need to be prepared, but yes."

The alarm went off on his phone. "Come on, you don't wanna be late do you? Didn't you tell me that you've got some sort of test today?"

"Huh? I never said that. I don't have a…my History test! I completely forgot to study about it!" She studied all of the way there and than all but ran into the school, hoping to gain a few extra minutes of study time.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Tea asked once they were back at the house. "I've canceled lessons at studio today and the shop rarely gets customers at this time of day, so we've got plenty of time."

"We should sit down." He let her over to table. "Coffee?"

"Sure, thanks." There was silence as poured the coffee.

"One tablespoon of sugar?"

"Yes, but-"

"Cream?"

"No Yugi I'm-"

"How about snacks?" For some reason he couldn't stop running his mouth.

"I'm fine Yugi. We just had breakfast. You're worrying me. You keep stalling, and it's only making me more nervous. Can you please just tell me already?" She saw right through him. It was obvious that he was stalling for time.

"You know how you had a hard time waking me up this morning."

"Yes…"

"That was because I was having a conversation with the Pharaoh."

She just stared at him. "Oh. Are you that it wasn't a dream?"

He shook his head no. "It definitely wasn't a dream. He told me that Mana and Mahad managed to hide all of the items but the ring from Bakura. He thinks that I need to find the puzzle. Even without the Pharaoh it's powerful. He thinks that I may be meant to use it. But even if I wasn't, we should at least keep it away from Bakura."

"Where did they hide it?" He had been dreading that question.

"Well actually, he wouldn't tell me." Yugi rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"What do you mean he didn't tell you?"

"I meant it, he wouldn't tell me. He just said that I'd know if I thought about it enough. I'm not even sure if they hid all of the items in different places."

"Okay, let's just focus on the box. If you were trying to hide the puzzle, where would you hide it? You shared a body with him for several years, so must know how he thinks!

"It's been too long Tea. I had wondered if it was his tomb, but that couldn't be it. Ishizu and Marik would have said something by now. They know that he's looking for the tomb, so they must have checked on it by now."

"Then where?"

 _Remember where it all started._

"Pharoah? Where are you?"

"Yugi, are you okay? I didn't hear anything."

"Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I just thought I heard him. He told me to remember where it all started…"

"So do you think it's…?" They looked at each other and raced to his old bedroom. It was currently the guest room, but it looked almost exactly the same as it had when he was a child. There it was, sitting on the desk in plain sight In exactly the same spot that he had put it every night when he went to sleep. He gently ran a hand on over the top of box. This small box had brought him more joy than he could have ever imagined, but it had also brought him pain. This box had unleased the shadows back into the world, and now he would have to open it once more. Nostalgia overwhelmed him for a moment and his hand hovered over top.

"Go on." She said softly. "Let's see what's inside.

He reverently lifted the lid and saw the puzzle. It was in shimmering pieces. "Before I try to put this back together we really should call Kaiba."

"Why? It's not like he'll believer you."

"I'm not so sure about that. Either way, we have to try. The Dueling Academy is a part of Kaiba Corporation, so he needs to know."

"Just let me look up the number." She did a quick search online. "Found it. Do you want me to do it?"

"Sorry Tea, but my name holds more weight. It'll be easier to get the call through to him."

"You could just call his cell. You are friends now."

"He won't answer it at work. Sorry Tea, but it's got to be me." She nodded and scribbled down the down the number. She pushed it towards him. "Good luck."

He voice dialed the number and waited.

"Kaiba Corporation, how can I help you."

"Uh, hi, this is Yugi Motou, I need to talk to Mr. Kaiba regarding Duel Academy. Tell him it's urgent."

"Mr. Mutou, every call is urgent. I'm afraid you're going to have to give me a better reason than that Mr. Mutou-" Suddenly he heard muffled sounds on the other side.

"Sorry about that Yugi." Mokuba answered. "I just came back from a business lunch. "You said it's urgent?"

"Yes, I think Duel Academy's in danger because of, well, it's probably not something that we should talk about over the phone-who knows who could overhear us. Can Tea and I meet you in person?"

"Can you be here in fifteen minutes? I have about two hours until my meeting with my next client. I might even be able to drag Seto away from his office long enough for this too. Is this something that he really needs to hear?"

"Yes," Yugi said emphatically, "He definitely needs to hear this, but he might now believe it."

"Why wouldn't he? He takes the safety of his students very seriously."

"Remember the puzzle?"

"…do you mean it has to do with _that_ stuff?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll make no promises about whether or not he'll believe it, but if it's about the school we have a duty to at least hear you out."

"Thanks. We'll leave right away."

Tea was ready with a bag for the puzzle. He grabbed his bag and put the puzzle in it to hide it from view.

"Let's go."

They drove as fast as they could and walked in as quickly as they could without actually sprinting. "Your bags." He pointed to security.

"For heaven's sake, both of the Seto and Mokuba Kaiba are expecting us and we're going to be late!" Right on cue the security guard received a call.

"But Mr. Kaiba, these two walked in with a suspicious bag…Are you sure? I would really have to advise you not too…no sir, of course I'm not questioning your judgment. Yes sir, right away."

He led the way to office. By now neither of them needed to be escorted, but he had to let the man do his job. He had been to this office many times and it had not changed location since he first took over the company.

To his surprise both Kaibas were setting in Seto's office.

"Close the door." He told the man who had escorted them.

The man nodded. "Yes Mr. Kaiba."

"Sorry about the hassle." Mokuba said. "There's some real nuts out there, so we've stepped up our security. If your bag had been a brief case he wouldn't have given you such a hard time."

"Thank you for making the time to meet with us ." Yugi had to nudge Tea to not hug him in greeting. Sometimes he let her get away with it in private, but there was no way they'd allow it in a professional setting

"Hey now, there's no need for that. We're all friends here." Mokuba insisted.

"Let's cut to the chase here." Seto said. "We don't have all day." Some things never changed.

Yugi shook his head, unsure of where to begin."You're not going to like it, but you need to hear it."

Tea was the one who was able to find the words to explain it coherently. "Yesterday we were attacked by Bakura. His body was possessed by the Spirit of the millennium ring."

"That's impossible."

"Considering that I doubt Bakura Ryou would shoot me, I'm sure it was him. He tried to summon diabound." Yugi added.

"Why aren't you in the hospital!" Mokuba exclaimed. Yugi ignored him and continued on.

"You're not going to believe this part."

"The Pharaoh healed him!" Tea added.

"So he's back."It wasn't a question the way he said it. He never would have guessed that Seto Kaiba would even be willing to listen to this conversation.

"No, he's not. He took me to some place and healed me, but he's not back."

"Can we just cut to the chase here? We don't have all day."

"How can you be so insensitive? All three of us were nearly killed yesterday, and don't even care!" Tea protested.

"It's fine Tea. This story is kind of long."

"Fine, I'm sorry that you're in danger. Now, can you please get to point of this little fairytale? I have a company to run."

"Fine. He's searching for the items, and we think that he's going to confront us soon."Tea said.

"We're afraid that he'll try to target Duel Academy to get to us because he's searching for these." He carefully unwrapped the box. "The puzzle has found its way back to me because Mana and Mahad hid the items to protect them from him. He might think that you have the millennium rod, so be on your guard."

"Let me get this straight. This is the same guy who took over Bakura during Battle city and did all of those things in Egypt?" Mokuba asked.

They nodded. "Why do you think that we'd have the rod?"he asked.

Seto scoffed. "It's because so guy who looked kind of like me in Ancient Egypt owned the rod. He's trying to drag us back into this hocus pocus nonsense again, is that right Yugi?" He said as if Yugi had just threatened him personally

"No, we're not. We don't expect you to come join us or anything, we just wanted to let you know to increase your security and carry your deck with you because the shadow games are back."

"Shadow games?" He had been kid when everything happened the first time, Yugi had thought that he would have a difficult time remembering everything, but then how easily could one forget having their soul stolen?

"Games where your soul is at stake. Like with Pegasus and Battle City." Mokuba went pale and comprehension dawned on his face.

"Fine, we will. Is that all?"

"That's everything."

"Then get out of my office. I don't have time for this nonsense."

"We should too." She agreed. "It was nice seeing you. Can we expect you for dinner on Wednesday at seven?" Tea asked. They had taken to inviting Seto and Mokuba for dinner because they all grieved the mutual loss of the pharaoh all of those years ago. Something about experiencing so much together drew them all together, and that included the incredibly hard headed CEO of Kaiba Corp. He initially refused, but Yugi had never stopped asking until he came, in his words, "Just to get him to shut up about it." The truth was that they had been through so much together that becoming friends was inevitable. Mokuba started coming before Seto did, and he quickly became one of them. They liked the kid, and though the title of big brother was reserved for Seto he found that he had begun to think of Mokuba as his little brother, so Seto tried to make his peace with them for Mokuba's sake. He would never be too affectionate towards his friends, but he tried.

"We'll see." He always said that, and he always came, even if he did complain about wasting time that could be spent working on whatever the latest project was.

Tea waved goodbye."See ya then!"

Author's Note: I've put some thought into Yugi's new relationship with the Pharaoh. Yugi is still struggling to not look at the pharaoh like a lost teenager looking for guidance because it's easy to revert back to old roles with people you care about. Right now it's Yugi's turn to step up the plate without the puzzle. Yugi's not completely alone, but this time it's his time to show the world what he's made of. Also, although he does try to help he is somewhat limited in what he can do.

Please read, review, and enjoy!  
-ForeverLily


	4. The past repeats itself

Author's Note: I really enjoyed this chapter because of Kaiba and reasons...hopefully you'll understand if you read on. I won't say why and ruin the surprise. Also, this one gives a bit of background on their lives as adults so I thought it was fun. I'm sure I'll be expanding on that more later. This story takes place in right around the present, but there is one difference-they have Seto Kaiba, the man who managed to make holograms and virtual reality in the 90's. Two decades later I figure that certain technology originally applied only to gaming by Kaiba Corp would be applied to other things. I don't get to write about it much, but it can be seen in the form of the holo-poster in Akari's bedroom.

I'd like to give a shout out to _lalalei_ for reviewing this story, and to all who decided to give it a shot. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

Enjoy!

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes 4: The past repeats itself

 _Come on puzzle…just one more time. That's all I ask._ Yugi pleaded with the puzzle in his hands. He had been working on it for eight hours and he had only managed to connect two pieces. It took him years to complete it the first time, but the next time after that it had only taken him a few minutes. He could still remember the way that it felt, as if his hands were moving on their own accord. He couldn't afford to take years-all he had were a few days, and even taking that long made him uncomfortable. _We may not even have days. We don't know when he's going to make his move and we need to be ready_ , he thought. No, he had to stop thinking like that. He had to be positive. He knew he could solve the puzzle because he had already done it twice. He needed to stop with the what ifs. They wouldn't accomplish anything-all they would do is make him lose faith. Maybe that was it! He just needed to have faith. It had gotten him out of many tight spots in the past. Recently he been letting everything that had happened bog him down with worries over the future of his family and it was making him doubt himself. He took a deep breath. _Okay fate, it's up to you now._ He picked up a different set of pieces and tried again. The connected, but not to the pieces that he had already connected, still, it was progress.

He heard a knock on the door. "Dad? Are you in there?"

"Come in Akari."

"What are you doing in here?"She asked.

He put the puzzle down. "Come here. I want to show you something."

She obeyed and walked over. She looked at the puzzle pieces, and then looked at him in confusion. "This looks exactly like that puzzle."

"That's because it is _that_ puzzle. When Mana and Mahad hid the puzzle they hid it in plain sight. She put the box on my old desk, right where I used to always keep it. "

"Oh yeah, sometimes I forget this was your old room. You were so weird dad! This room is exactly the same way that it was when you graduated high school, and there's not a single holo poster on the walls."

He ruffled her hair affectionately."That's because I'm old. Holo posters weren't invented yet."

"But what about the old paper ones?"

"I used to have some up, but we took them down when we made it the spare bedroom. It's weird being at my old desk, Kari. I remember spending many nights over the years trying to solve this puzzle."

"Years?"

"Yep. You see, not everyone can use the puzzle. Only the one who is fated to use it can solve it and learn it's secrets. I solved it exactly when it was meant to be solved. If I had been any younger I wouldn't have been much use to the pharaoh, and I wouldn't have been ready for the trials ahead.

Suddenly she was indignant. "So this guy was using you? What gives him the right to-"

"Akari!" He scolded.

"But Dad-"

"You shouldn't judge a situation that you don't understand. 5000 years ago, he sacrificed himself when he was a young pharaoh in order to save the world by locking his soul inside of his puzzle without his memories. He waited all of that time in order to save the world a second time and then had to pass a test in order to finally find peace. He's sacrificed a lot for the sake of the world."She could no longer look him in the eyes because she was ashamed of her outburst.

"We shared a body, but once we began to understand each other we realized that I was chosen for a reason."

"Why?"

He could feel a bittersweet smile cross his face. "Because, we complimented each other-we both had strengths that the other lacked. I taught him compassion, and that the end doesn't always justify the means, and he taught me to be strong. We were like two halves of the same person. I used to call him 'other me'. Well, maybe the fact that he sometimes took over to duel might have had something to do with it too."

Suddenly she looked horrified. "Do you mean you're not the real king of games?" She had always taken pride in the fact that her dad was the king of games. He could only imagine what was going through her head when she thought that he was a fraud.

"No, I am the real king of games. We dueled together, but the test that he had to pass to return to the afterlife was to lose to me. We gave it our all, and it was the toughest duel I've ever had, but I won. It was a pretty close call though."

She knitted her eyebrows the way that she always did when trying to solve particularly difficult puzzle. "Why'd he have to lose?"

Yugi had asked himself that many times over years. He had thought that it was because losing had been painful for him, but he eventually came to realize that it wasn't exactly losing that was his weakness-it was pride. He supposed that it was inevitable that a king of any sort would find pride to be his weakness. He could never back down from a duel even when it meant gambling with other people's lives. To someone like him losing wasn't option, plain and simple. At first it had caused tension between the two of them and Yugi had started to fear the ruthlessness of the spirit that he had unknowingly unleashed. Once they began to communicate and trust each other, he slowly began to realize that letting go of his pride to help someone was more important than victory at any cost. "It was because he had to overcome his biggest flaw."

"How is winning a flaw? Wasn't that kind of the point?"

The raw desperation in Kaiba's eyes as he stood on the ledge still haunted him. He was taunting Yugi because he knew that he wouldn't risk someone else's life like that, but he was beyond the point of bluffing. To this day Yugi believed that person that Kaiba was at that time would have jumped. When he asked the Pharaoh about it one night shortly after they arrived back home from Duelist Kingdom he had said, "It was his decision. He chose to take the risk, so I did not think think that it should have interfered with our plans. However,he saw Yugi shifting uncomfortably in seat, "I realize that was wrong. We could have found another way inside, and we did. I was too foolish to not realize that."Despite his admission that he was wrong, it was something that he struggled against right up until the final duel.

"His biggest flaw was pride. He had to lose because there was a time when he believed that the ends justified the means, and that isn't always true."

"Yugi? Akari? Are you guys alright?" Tea ran into the room. "Don't scare me like that! I sent you up here fifteen minutes ago Akari! I thought that something really bad had happened to you! Both of you should come down for dinner It's been ready for ten minutes and it's going to get cold!"

Dinner at the Mutou house was a silent affair for what was probably the first time since that first week after returning from Egypt when he was kid. That silence was solemn and it was deafening. This time the silence wasn't solemn. Instead was composed the buzzing minds of the family as they tried to digest everything that they had learned.

They all pitched in to do the dinner dishes that night because Tea had cooked something especially elaborate because she had taken off of work, and then sat in front of TV. "Do we even want to know?" She asked in regards to the news.

"Staying in the dark won't do us any good, so I guess we'll have to see what we can find out."

To their surprise nothing newsworthy had happened yet, except that A dog had saved a little girl from drowning at the pier. Although it was a pretty impressive story it was hardly relevant to what they were looking for.

"Uneventful is good, right?" She asked.

Amen to that."Definitely."

His phone went off. The caller ID said read Ishizu Ishtar. "Is everything alright Ishizu? Isn't this pretty late for you?"

"The necklace has found it's way back to me."

"So Mana and Mahad hid them with their original owners…"

"This is the work of the servants of the pharaoh?"

"I spoke with him last night while I was asleep Mana and Mahad managed to hide all of the items but the ring. I found the puzzle in my old bedroom…"

"That is excellent Yugi!"

"There's just one problem…"

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to put it back together again. I spent eight hours working on it and only managed to put four pieces together."

"You must have faith. You will be able to connect all of the pieces when the time is right."

"Did your necklace tell you that?"

"I don't need a millennium item to be sure. You were the vessel for the great pharaoh. I can assure you that if anyone is worthy, it is you." He caught himself blushing.

"What exactly did she say?" Tea whispered.

"I don't know about that, but thanks. How is Marik doing now that he had the millennium rod?" He was afraid that his dark side would return.

"He doesn't have it. I suspect it is going to find its way to Seto-" He heard buzzing on the other line and it was Seto's number.

"I think maybe it just did."

"Take care. If something happens I'll let you know."

"Same here."

They switched over. "Hi Seto what's-"

"Get this thing out of my house Mutou."

"Get what out of your house?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! If you need a private jet back to Egypt take it, hell, I'll pilot it myself, but I will not touch that thing. I am not some Ancient Egyptian Priest! I have absolutely no desire to touch that thing and be dragged back into that mess."

"I'm not sure it works that way."

"I decide my own destiny. It's that I don't care that you're in danger, if you need me to do something because you morons lack the talent then I'll help you, but I'm putting my foot down about the shadow games." So the issue wasn't that he didn't believe, it was that he did believe. He couldn't really blame him for not wanting to deal with it. But when would Seto learn that you can't run from fate?

"Seto, you can't run from this. Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to run from all of this? You wound up in the Pharaoh's memories despite all of your protests that it was all 'hocus pocus nonsense'. But if it'll make you feel any better, I'll hold onto it for the time being."

"I suppose you'll want me to say thank you or something like that?"

"From you? I think I'd be more frightened if you did."

"I'll be right over."

"I'll send a car." He faintly hear Mokuba in the background. "Is that Yugi? We should probably come in person. You can't be too careful"

"Since we're asking you for a favor I guess we should come to you. I could use a break from those imbeciles from the board of directors anyway. If the company can't keep running without me for an hour or two I need to hire better employees."

"Is your nephew coming? We have cookies. Tea's been baking all day."

The item was wrapped up in a blanket. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you didn't want to touch it."

"Do I ever kid?"

"More than you'd think." Tea said as she walked into the room.

"Hello Mokuba and hello to you too little guy. Your birthday's next week, right?"

"Right!"

"How old will you be this year Toma?"

He proudly held up three fingers."I'll be this many."

"He's turning four this year," Mokuba said, "And he couldn't be any more excited. He's been asking me for different types of cakes since Friday. How does a four year old even know that many types of cake anyway?"

Yugi laughed because his daughter was the same way at that age, only instead of cakes it was games."You did marry a baker. Speaking of Risa, where is she?"

"She's attending a convention. Every year there's this huge convention and she's been saying that she's wanted to attend since before we even started dating. This is the first year she hasn't been sick on the day it starts. Her bakery's already a success, but she wants to expand. She's been looking up regulations and ordinances in between customers. I guess that's what I get marrying a reformed lawyer." Risa had been fresh out of law school when they met. She was about to accept a job at a firm when brother asked her to help out at his bakery for the day. She fell in love with baking and decided to open up her bakery. Although you'd think that she'd be as different from Seto as night and day, she was extremely organized, efficient, spoke the language of sarcasm as fluently as him, and was sharp as a tac. She really did remind Yugi of Seto. Needless to say Seto approved of his little brother's wife.

"Cookie." He pointed at the plate of sugar cookies that Tea was holding.

"Can he?"

"Just the one, and don't let him try to fool you into thinking that he didn't eat it later!" Mokuba warned.

Tea knelt down. "Here you go. Take your pick."

"Why don't we all go sit down?"

"Akari?"

"Yes dad?" Akari walked in and greeted the guests. "Hello Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Kaiba." Mokuba and Seto had been like Uncles to her, but she always called them that because it got on Mokuba's nerves, and she said that Seto had always seemed like a sir to her, even though she really enjoyed spending time with them. "Why don't you go play with Toma?"

"Okay."

They had to walk past the kitchen to make it to the living room and Seto and Mokuba stared at all of the baked goods lining the counter and the table. There all sorts of different breads and cookies. Yugi was amazed that she had been able to prepare such an elaborate dinner after that.

"Maybe you should go into baking instead," Mokuba teased. "I hear my wife's been looking to hire someone new."

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow. "I never took you for a nervous baker Gardner."

"It's been Mutou for sixteen years thank you. I took the day off of work, and I didn't know what to do with myself so I started baking, and then I couldn't stop! I never thought I'd become a nervous baker either." she said defeatedly.

Tea had always been a doer, and not being able to do something made her restless.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. If even you geeks could do it as teenagers, I'm sure you can do it again," Seto tried to comfort her.

"Where did you find... _it?"_ Yugi asked.

"Why are you talking about it like it's a stray dog that you've just taken in?" Mokuba asked.

"We've got little ears in the house now, we need to be careful." Tea defended Yugi. "We don't want to be overheard."

"Fine, I found _it_ in the vault with my cards and my important blueprints. What I don't understand is how they managed to get in there in the first place. It's guarded with state of the art security systems didn't even exist sixteen years ago!"

"I'm telling you that Mana and Mahad are two powerful magicians acting on the orders of a pharaoh who apparently has the ability to watch what's going on down here and that's what you question?" Kaiba had always had a highly logical mind, so his explanations tended toward the scientific even when things could not be explained away using science. "The items were hidden with those who were meant to hold them. Isis had just finished telling me that she had found the necklace when you called."

A crash sounded from below. "Are you okay Akari?" Tea shouted.

"That wasn't us." Akari shouted back.

The adults looked at each other and ran to the shop. A duel monster menacingly stood in the middle of the floor. "Seto, get the rod."

"I said-" he protested.

"We don't have a choice. We need your help. I might be of commission so you have to use yours to summon the Blue Eyes white dragon!" He shouted.

"Okay Mana and Mahad, I'm sorry to call on you again so soon." He whispered. "I summon the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl!" He wasn't sure if it would work, but to his relief they came when he called.

They immediately moved to stand between Yugi and his friends and the creature. He didn't recognise it, but it looked powerful.

One attack had already knocked the Dark Magician Girl to the side, but the Dark Magician stood his ground.

They launched another attack, which shook the creature up a bit but didn't appear to do much damage.

Kaiba returned and pointed the rod. "How do I use this thing?"

"Trust your instincts! If it's meant to be yours you'll know!"

"I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The creature appeared in a blaze of light. It attacked the creature once, and that was enough to destroy the creature in the attack and not leave a single piece behind.

Seto slowly lowered his arm. "What in the hell was that? I could feel it! I could feel it coursing through me. How did I know how to do that?"

"You just do." Yugi shrugged. "It comes with the territory. It sort of becomes an extension of you. Do you believe us now? Things like this will keep happening whether you have it or now, so wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry with that on your side?"

"Fine, I'll keep the rod," he muttered.

"I'm home!" Mai shouted. "Oh, don't all get up at once."

"Hey Mai!" Joey said distractedly.

"Is that any way to greet your wife?"

Joey had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry Mai, we're just trying to figure something out."

"Don't hurt yourself. What are you guys trying to figure out?"

She surveyed the faces of her friends and her eyes stopped next to Seto. "Is that what I think it is?"

"We know who has five of the items, but we can't seem to figure out who has the last two," Joey explained.

"Where's your puzzle Yugi?"

"I haven't solved it yet," he admitted.

"We're sure it'll all come back to you bro." Tristan patted his shoulder.

"Of course it will-you're the king of games!" Joey encouraged.

"All that means is that I'm extraordinarily lucky," he said. "Think about all of those duels that I won with half a point left."

"As much as I hate to admit this, I think you proved that you're the King of Games in the ceremony. You haven't lost an official duel since Duelist Kingdom-I think that has to be more than a bit of luck." Seto begrudgingly admitted.

Tea took his hand. "Look at me Yugi."

He turned to face his wife. "Aren't you the ones always telling us to trust in ourselves? To trust in the heart of cards? You will solve that puzzle because that is what you are meant to do. Stop doubting yourself!" He should have known that they'd be on the same page. He had given himself a similar pep talk earlier that evening.

"Who said I don't think I will? I know that if I am meant to solve it then I will." Fate does what it wants, and that's that.

Mai sat on the couch with her legs crossed and carefully listened in on the conversation. Although she knew the basics, Yugi knew that there would probably be some things that she didn't know. It wasn't something that they had purposefully decided-so much had happened that it was easy to leave details out.

"That's four now." Joey stated. "Weren't there supposed to be more?"

"Do you think Pegasus has the eye? That guy still gives me the creeps." Tristan grimaced at the thought of seeing him with it again. "I know he's supposed to be all reformed and everything, but if a man is capable of stealing souls once, doesn't that mean he's able to do it again?"

Mokuba made a face. "I hope not." Yugi couldn't blame him. The man _had_ stolen his soul as a kid. Surely there were few things as traumatizing as that.

"I'm with Mokuba here. That kind of power isn't for just anyone to mess around with. Cheating is the least of what he could do with something like that. I remembered the darkness that surrounded the arena. At first I thought it was just something wrong with the cameras, but then I realized how...solid it looked. If he was able to duel you in the shadow realm he could do a lot of damage."

"So what does that leave?" Tea asked. She whipped out her phone and did a quick search "The key and the scales. Who had those?"

They all tried to think back, but struggled to come up with answer. Finally it was Tristan that spoke, "Wasn't it that creepy spirit guy?"

Yugi's eyebrows shot up. That description rung a bell, and then he realized who he was talking about."Shadi? I don't think he'd have it. He moved on when the pharaoh did."

"Are you sure? I mean, if the pharaoh can..." Tea trailed off hopefully.

"No Tea, it can't be him. The pharaoh's different." How could explain that it all hinged on the connection that they had? If the pharaoh wasn't his other self, if he weren't a Pharaoh things would have been different and they'd _really_ be on their own.

"But-"

"Tea!" Mai interrupted. "If Yugi says it can't be him, then we should look at other options. The spirit of the puzzle was your friend right? And Yugi is your husband and knows more about this than any of us! If there's one thing that he's taught me is that sometimes you need to trust the people that care about you, and I know when someone's trying to b-" she saw the pointed look that Yugi and Tea were shooting her, "What I mean is that I'm get at telling when someone's over confident and doesn't know what they're talking about and Yugi definitely isn't one of them. I say we go back to the drawing board."

Finally Kaiba gave his two cents. "Let's say that out guess is right and the items are going to be found by whoever represents the original holder. What we should be trying to figure out who is who had them in Egypt, not who had them twenty years ago. It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that a spirit who doesn't even exist anymore isn't going to be able to have an item."

"So who had them in Egypt then?" asked Tristan.

They all looked at each other. "For some reason I can't remember. Sorry pal."Joey said regretfully.

"I don't either. Does anyone know?" Tristan asked.

"I don't remember seeing anything about it on the tablet either…" Yugi shook his head.

"The items came to you, right?" Tea asked.

"That's right, they did."

"I have a feeling they'll come us then! Now, since there's nothing else we can do…" She looked towards the kitchen and cringed when she saw that entire surface of the kitchen counter was covered in baked goods. "Does anyone want a cupcake?"

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading. I would also appreciate it if you would review if you have the time. It's always nice to get feedback and know what readers are thinking. In this case I've written the story that I want to read, and it's been so much fun predicting their future while using canon as the foundation. I thought maybe I'm not the only one who'd want to read this story.

-ForeverLily


	5. The wrath of Seto Kaiba

Author's Note: This particular chapter feels a little slow, but I think that it was necessary to give a little flesh to their lives and relationships. Yugi has never been just a hero, and that's why he's so great. He has things that keep him rooted, and they are his source of strength. He's not the stoic hero of fairy tales who go through difficult trials without feeling fear, doubt, or hesitation, so he is going to feel all of those things. So far it's been fun imagining what kind of adult he'd be. As a parent I think he'd be fairly affectionate and protective because he is protective of who he cares about. Any child that was a combination of his Tea's genes would have to be kind natured and pretty straight laced, so I imagine that they would have a pretty peaceful home life when they're not worrying about being murdered in their sleep.

At any rate, here's a fairly nice chapter with a small bit of fluff. I decided to post sooner since I got a review on a previous chapter and I already had the chapter written. Please enjoy your second chapter on the same day!

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes Chapter 5: The wrath of Seto Kaiba

The days went by, and little by little Yugi made progress on the puzzle. For whatever reason, he had only been able to connect two at a time each day. It was almost as if the puzzle was dragging it out on purpose. In the meantime life went on in a fashion that was as close to normal as things could ever be. He followed his usual routine of getting up and dressed, eating breakfast with his family, kissing his wife and daughter on the cheek as they left, and then going to the shop to wait for the early morning customers that sometimes trickled in. After the way the things had been recently, going back to his old life seemed so surreal. It felt wrong somehow.

He tried not to think about it by busying himself with unpacking inventory when someone walked in.

"Hello young man." An elderly lady who lived down the street greeted him.

"Hello Ma'am. How can I help you."

"Can I please I have the newest…what's it called…I'm sorry, my mind seems to be going in my old age. The latest tin for that duel monsters game?"

He presented her with the three choices. "Right now there are three new tins. Can you tell me which one he'd prefer?"

"I'm afraid he didn't say. He's just starting out, you see, so he doesn't know what he needs yet." He nodded in understanding. That wasn't an uncommon problem, especially when it came to young children.

"How about his one?" He held up the blue tin. "The cards in this set are especially good for beginners because it includes a lot of staple cards that help create the foundation for a strong deck."

She smiled at him in gratitude and pointed at the blue tin. "Then I'll take that one please, Mr. Motou. You look so much like your grandfather when he was young," she said wistfully.

He laughed awkwardly. "You'd be surprised at how often I hear that."

"I used to have a bit of crush on him you know," she winked. "Back when I was young. Thank you for your help, Mr. Mutou. I can promise you I'll be back sometimes soon."

"Thank you, please come again!"

As she turned around to leave a boy with messy hair and dirt smeared on his clothes came speeding through the door. "Mr. Mutou! Please tell you me have a gravity bind!" The boy's eyes glimmered desperately. "Some kids mugged me and stole my gravity bind. I don't know what to do! I was on my way to the Duel Academy Entrance Exam! How am I supposed to duel with a gravity bind deck without gravity bind?"

"I don't have any in the case, but I might have one more out back."

He expertly began thumbing through the cards recently sold to him by other duelists. "Let's see…Gs…Gamble, Gem Flash Energy, Gift of the Mystical Elf, Grave Robber's Retribution…Gravity bind!" He muttered under his breath. He handed the card over to the boy.

"Thanks! I'll totally." He felt around his pocket. "Uh oh…"

The color drained from the boy's face. "My money's gone!"

Yugi couldn't help but the times that he had been bullied and targeted because of his small size. The poor kid needed a break. "It's okay. It's on me this time. Just go and win that duel, okay?"

"Thanks! I owe you."

"If you run you might still catch the bus!"

He enthusiastically nodded. "I will. Thanks again!" The boy ran out faster than he came in. Yugi was exhausted just looking at the poor kid. "I wish I had that kind of energy!"

"You make yourself sound like an old man and you're not even forty yet!"

"What?" He turned around, startled. He saw his wife standing in the doorway. "You startled me. I thought you had lessons today?"

She sighed in defeat. "Not a single one of my students showed up! Can you believe it? I guess they all wanted to watch the entrance duels!"

The phone rang loudly. "Turtle game shop how can I help you."

"Yugi." It was Kaiba. "Are you aware that your daughter's applied to Duel Academy? Have you finally come to your senses and allowed her to apply?"

Yugi was furious, how could she go behind his back after he told her no, especially at a time like this? "No I wasn't. I'm not even sure how she got there-Tea drove her to school this morning. We told her that she's not allowed to apply because it's too risky." What was that girl thinking? Didn't they just talk about the risks yesterday?"

"Are you questioning my ability to protect my company?" Now his voice had an edge to it.

"No, of course not, but you know our feelings. We want her to have a more broad education, although we were reconsidering letting her apply until all of this happened. We thought that it would be too obvious for her to go. If someone comes looking for her during the day the first place they'd assume my child would be is Duel Academy."

"I was notified of falsified information because she tried to forge your signature."

What had gotten into that girl? "Alright, I'll head over and bring her home."

"There's no need-Mokuba's heading there on business. I'm sure he won't mind bringing her back."

"Thank you for letting me know."

"I'll have a word with her on the way back. I trust you'll do the same."

"Of course." He actually wasn't sure that he could bring himself to scold her too much after a talk with Seto. He could be harsh, maybe even too harsh, and those conversations usually ended in tears. She told him that he had a way of making her ashamed of herself for not meeting his expectations.

"I'll talk to you later, so bye." He hung up

"What is it?"

"Akari forged my signature and signed up for Duel Academy entrance Exams."

"She did what? Oh, when I'm through with her-"

"Seto's beaten us to the punch. He's going to have a talk with her first."

"Oh." He could see her anger starting to deflate. "Good. Maybe then she'll learn that her actions have consequences." Seto Kaiba was their ultimate threat, although they rarely needed to follow through because after she heard the threat she almost always cleaned up her act. Seto had noted this once with some amusement, and made snide remarks about their parenting, but he didn't seem to mind. Akari hated disappointed her family, but she particularly dreaded disappointing Seto because she had always looked up to him.

Mokuba showed up at their front door right around 2 o'clock in the afternoon with a very sullen Akari. "I figured that she had already missed enough school that she wouldn't be counted present by the attendance office, so I thought it might be best to take her home."

"Thank you Mokuba. I'm sorry you had to go through all of this trouble."

"No, it was no-" He saw Tea's and Yugi's expression and cleared his throat, changing his expression from gracious and reassuring to annoyed."I mean, yes, Akari, you put me through a great deal of trouble. Your immaturity forced me to interrupt my business. You didn't just inconvenience me, you inconvenienced Seto and your father. Things might look calm, but you are in danger. Something could have happened to you. I, uh, hope you understand."

"Go to your room young lady! We'll have a word with you after you think about what you've done," Tea scolded.

Without another word Akari turned around and went to her room. "Don't be too hard on her. Seto's already talked to her," Mokuba pleaded.

"What did he say?" Yugi asked.

Mokuba grimaced. "That what she did was stupid, dangerous, illegal, and inconvenienced everyone. He said that he thought she was a smart girl, but her actions showed otherwise today. He expected better from her, and she had better shape up if she wished to get anywhere in life because angering the people who are on your side is a bad move for both your professional life and personal life." There was a short pause. "She'll be fine. I think he gave a similar speech to me once when I was a teenager. That was probably the only time I disobeyed him as a kid." That was pretty harsh, especially considering that she was only fifteen.

"I hope she's alright…" Tea said with pity.

Yugi put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll talk to her. She's a smart girl, she'll see reason."

"Yugi, she's a teenager. I'm not sure that's physically possible."

They waited fifteen long minutes in the shop before going upstairs.

Yugi knocked and then walked in. Akari was lying on her bed crying into her pillow.

"Akari?"

She just turned away. "What was I thinking?" She said in between hiccups. "I've disappointed everyone. All I wanted was to be like every other kid. I just wasn't thinking. Now I've put Uncle Seto and Uncle Mokuba out, and everything's all wrong!" The only time she actually cried when she was in trouble was when someone said they were disappointed in her. She held herself to high standard in order to please her role model and her parents, and falling short of them was devastating.

Yugi's heart wrenched. He hated seeing her like this. Tea went and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Honey, we're not angry, just worried. Something bad could have happened to you and we'd have no idea. And further, you broke law. Seto gave you a second chance, so let's just to try to learn something from all this, okay?" Yugi kneeled next to the bed. "Look at me Kari." He used her childhood nickname to soften it a little. She rolled over, but refused to look him in the eye. "We're not going to give you another lecture because we know Seto beat us to it, and he can be pretty scary. This time around we won't ground you, but we will if we you do something like that again, okay?" She nodded.

"Now give me hug."

She hugged her dad and cried into his shirt while Tea stroked her hair. "Okay. I promise I'll make you proud!" She sniffled. 

Tea hugged her too. "Why don't you go and clean yourself up? And then after that you should go and study for the test on Monday."

Her parents left her alone. Once they got into the living room they collapsed onto the couch. "Do you think we were too easy on her?" Tea asked.

"She never gets into trouble. I think the worst thing she's ever done is lie to us about finishing her homework before going out with her friends, and even then she always has it done before class starts. I think that we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, I think her conversation with Seto has set her straight. She won't make the same mistake twice."

A few minutes later Akari was downstairs, face washed, and with a book in her hand. It read, _Math for the Mathematically Challenged_.

"What's this?"

"It's a book Sara gave me. She says it should help me with my homework. I'm not getting this whole fraction with a variable thing." She lowered the book and blushed a little. Uncle Mokuba said he'd help me study for my test this weekend," she added. "He's really good at this stuff, so he promised to help me."

"Okay, have fun studying," Tea teased.

"You know me, I totally will." Akari walked to the kitchen table and began spreading her stuff out. She said that she could never stand to sit at a desk for too long. She said it was too distracting to study in her room, so she often studied in the kitchen. They decided that they didn't care as long as she was doing well.

Yugi took a peek at the shop, and at his daughter who had quietly begun flipping through the pages of her book. "Tea, would you mind taking over the shop for me? I was thinking I should work on the puzzle, but I didn't want it out in the open at the shop."

"Sure."

He went upstairs and switched on the ancient desk lamp and began to try to fit them together absent mindedly. _Even if my mind can't remember, maybe my hands can._ He thought of other things, like what the puzzle wanted him to wait for. It was clear to him that the time hadn't come for him to solve it, so when would it be? What was it waiting for? He put together is two pieces for the day and found that he could not put anymore together, although like always, he tried. Exhaustion began to seep in from staring at the puzzle for so long. Slowly he could feel his eyes begin to fall.

"Hello Yugi." The Pharaoh greeted him.

Yugi looked around in confusion. He was standing by the sparkling waters of river, and when he turned around he could see sand as far as the eyes could see. This desert wasn't inhabited, though he recognized the buildings. He was in Egypt staring at the Nile. He realized then that he must have fallen asleep.

"Hi."

The pharaoh read his expression like a book. "You are frustrated about something."

"It's the puzzle."

"You still haven't solved it?"

"For some reason I can only manage to do two pieces a day. I think it's purposefully dragging this out- I just can't figure out why."

The smiled comfortingly, "I'm sure there's a reason, just have faith." He remember that smile that Pharaoh used to give them when everything looked like it was about to fall apart. It was meant to offer comfort, and it _was_ absurdly comforting, despite the fact that it was coming from someone who looked almost physically young enough to be his son. The idea was almost laughable, but it had been easy to fall back into old roles. Somehow the Pharaoh had a way of making him feel like teenager stumbling around as he tried to find his way again.

"I was hoping you'd know. You know about shadow magic, and you understand more the puzzle's intricacies better than I do. Most of what I knew about the puzzle was more, I don't know, instinctual. When I went inside the puzzle it was never something that I thought about. I just did it."

He chuckled. "Sorry Yugi, I may be a King, but even I'm not all knowing, although people seem to think I am."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment until Yugi couldn't stand it any longer. "So...did you pick this?"

"Hm?"

He motioned to the general area that they were in."Egypt. We're in Egypt. My thoughts have been taken over by daughter sneaking into the Duel Academy Entrance Exam, so I would have thought that if I was in charge of the dream we'd be in a duel arena or something."

"It may be the puzzle. When did you last work on it?"

"I fell asleep while working on the puzzle," Yugi admitted with some embarrassment. "I don't know why I've been so exhausted. Joey tells me it's because I'm an old soul, so my age is doubled," he laughed. "I feel kinda bad now for teasing grandpa about falling asleep early."

"I see. That explains things. You should try taking your mind off of it for a while."

Maybe they all needed a day off to do something fun. They had been awfully tense lately. He wasn't sure if he could get Tea to agree because they were supposed to punishing their daughter.

"Is there a reason you don't want her enroll in this Duel Academy?"

"I get asked that a lot, especially since Kaiba runs the academy. Did you know we're friends now? He comes over to my house with Mokuba and Mokuba's wife and son?"

The Pharaoh nodded. "I had a feeling. I thought I saw the beginnings of a friendship before, so I was hardly surprised. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you have always had a way of turning your enemies into friends, or allies at the very least."

Yugi opened his mouth to protest when he realized that he was right. Joey and Tristan had been bullies. Kaiba had stolen his grandpa's card and used to be full of hatred and anger. Duke Devlin had tried to humiliate him on camera and made Joey his personal dog because he lost a duel, and Marik's dark side tried to steal their soul. Even Pegasus had helped them on a few occasions. "You might have a point," he admitted. "People assume that because we're friends, and because I'm the King of Games my daughter should go, but I want her to have a more broad education, and also, given the current state of things it's not safe."

"Wouldn't she be safer there?"

"It would be the first place he'd look for her. There's another reason, although we've never told her about it…"

"What is it?"

"We were afraid she'd be treated like a celebrity by the other students, or that they would have unfair expectations for her just because of who I am. We want to her to make a name for herself, and for people to recognize her because of her talents and her personality. It's not that we think it would change her, but we don't want to burden her with that. In a regular school she's treated by most of her peers just like everyone else. We knew that she wanted to take the exam, but we never thought she'd forge my signature to do it."

"How did you find out?"

"Seto was alerted when the signature didn't match up with mine. He gave her talk already, so I don't think she's ever going to repeat that particular mistake. We were terrified when we found out that she had left without telling us. What if Bakura had tried something?"

He could tell the Pharaoh wanted to say something. He was holding back. "What is it? Do you think I'm worrying too much?"

"I shouldn't interfere with your parenting."

"What is it?"

"I think that you should let her go and get the training she needs. You do not know what her destiny is, and will not be able to protect her forever."

"We haven't been neglecting her dueling education. She has quite a few high ranking duelists at her disposal. Seto, Joey, Mai, and I all take turns teaching her everything we know. Mokuba helps, and so does Rebecca when she visits."

"It's not the same, and you know it. If duelists are, as you say, being trained in schools, perhaps she should be there."

For some reason this made Yugi feel more defensive. It also made him wonder why he had come to see him. He was only allowed to come in certain situations, so he couldn't have come just to catch up. "Not that I'm not happy to see you again, but why exactly did you want to talk to me?"

His face grew grave again."I can sense that the time is drawing near. Do not be overly cautious. If you are, it may only cause you more grief."

"I thought that might be case." He could sense it as well, and it had put him on edge. "We know the location of five of the seven items, so all we need are the millennium key and scales."

"Believe in the heart of the cards and you will find that things are not as bleak as they appear." Bleak wasn't the word that he would have used now that they knew the locations of the items. "You need to wake up now Yugi, Tea's looking for you. Tell her I said hello," the Pharaoh smiled sadly. Suddenly the heat and the desert sand faded away and his eyes fluttered open.

"Tea?"

She put a hand on his forehead to check for his temperature."You okay? You haven't been sleeping well lately, and now this?"

Yugi laughed it off. "Really Tea, I'm fine. I just fell asleep while working on the puzzle. I was trying to not think about so that muscle memory could kick in, but all I managed to do was fall asleep! I had another conversation with the Pharaoh."

Yugi recognized a flicker of something cross her face, but it was gone before he could identify it. "Really? What did he say?"

"He says hi, and that, and these are his exact words, the time is drawing near."

She took a moment to formulate her words. "I see. Well then, I guess we'll just have to give it all we've got, won't we?" Instead of the dread that he expected to see, he saw raw determination in it's place. His wife had always had a fire in her that he admired, and now that she was showing it he somehow felt more determined than ever. It was one of the many traits that he loved about her. Sometimes Yugi, despite being cheerful by nature, found that he internalized his problems until they began to leach away at him. Tea had a way of drawing him out of it.

"I'm going to try again. I feel like this time I'll be able to do it for real."

"I'll be rooting for you." Tea dragged an old chair right next to his. She wiped the dust off and sat down. "I'll keep you company."

She leaned back in her chair. "So Yugi, does it feel weird to be doing this again? I feel like a teenager again, only a little bit wiser than I was back then!"

"So do I. I used to spend hours doing this every night. But, do you know the difference between now and then?"

"What?"

He put the puzzle piece that had been manipulating down and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm happy. Before I solved the puzzle I was lonely. Now I'm happier than I ever thought I'd be, and it's partially thanks to you."

Together they chatted happily as Yugi worked to fit the puzzle pieces together. They talked about everything from their childhood to the shop and the ridiculous thing that she had seen on her way work. For the first time in days they relaxed together and forgot their troubles.

Author's Note:

Akari has two main role models in her life-Her father and Seto Kaiba. It's only natural that having a role model with such high expectations would force you to strive to work harder. She knows her dad and Seto would love her no matter what, but she also knows that Seto has little tolerance for laziness, and his displeasure is not something that you ever want to face. This chapter revolves around this idea.

On an entirely different note, I'd like to apologize for any weird spacing you might find in this chapter. When I converted it into a word doc I noticed that some of my spacing seemed a bit off. I've tried to fix as many as I can, but nobody's perfect and I might still have missed some. The same goes for name inconsistancies. Originally I was going to use Japanese names mixed with a few of the English ones (for minor characters), but thought that it would be misleading and cause me greater problems down the road because I grew up with the dub and the English names come the most naturally to me. I'd inevitably find myself slipping and just decided that it would be easier to switch.

Thanks for reading! I would also really appreciate it if you could find the time to review as well!

ForeverLily


	6. Puzzles and family

Author's Note: Hi guys! I was startled to find that story takes place right around this year (give or take a few years), if you start counting from when the 1998 show was introduced. This is largely based on the dub, so it seemed like an appropriate place to begin.

Also, I'd like to thank manaDMGmaster, Zaira Fire, lalalei, and everyone else who has taken the time to read and/or favorite my story. Each review really makes my day!

Anyway, here's chapter 6. Enjoy!

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes Chapter 6: Puzzles and Family

After Tea and Akari went to bed Yugi decided to work on the puzzle. It wasn't simply a desire, it was a compulsion. For some reason he felt as if he absolutely had to work on the puzzle. He sat down and worked by the light of the desk lamp. Yugi no longer had command over his own fingers as they moved on their own accord, connecting pieces that he had been struggling with only a few hours ago. A feeling of exhilaration raced through him with each new piece put in the correct place. When he grabbed the next piece he stopped. Yugi remembered that the puzzle would grant the wish of the one to solve it. Asking for a second wish would be the height of selfishness, but he had to try didn't he? _I know I've already had one wish granted, but really need another. I wish that we will be able to defeat the darkness without my friends and family losing their lives or their souls._ He clicked the last piece in place.

Energy surged through the air and coursed through Yugi. Adrenaline pumped through him as his body and soul reestablished the connection with puzzle. It was a good shock, like the first jump into a cold pool, and when the feeling faded the connection felt as natural as breathing.

This time something was different. He just knew things about how the puzzle worked, things that he didn't know the first time. It must have been because Yugi was the only soul inhabiting it. It even felt like it fit him better, somehow. _I am no longer a child uncomfortable in my own skin. I am more confident, more capable, and I know what I am getting myself into. I was born for this,_ he thought. _We each have purpose, maybe even multiple purposes, and this was mine, isn't that right pharaoh?_

He was too exhilarated to sleep, so he grabbed his laptop and dragged up to his old room and poured over card catalogues. Since he couldn't sleep, he may as well do something productive. As the owner of fairly small game shop he had to keep up to date on the latest cards in order to keep customers flowing in. As he researched the new cards, he thought back to when he started learning the game. It seemed so much more simple back then! As the game was refined, so were the rules. As the rules changed, Yugi, like all of the other duelists adapted because they liked the games. Some even said that it made the game more interesting. With all of the complications and new rules it was no wonder that many duelists looking to become champions wanted to attend duel academy.

Yami Bakura hadn't had any exposure to the changes in the game, so he knew that if he bothered to play by rules at all it would be by the old rules established during battle city, with older cards. That is, if he was still bent of using duel monsters at all, but judging by the way that he had summoned Diabound and had readily pulled out a gun he was no longer sure what kind of game the man wanted to play.

"Yugi?" The voice had startled him, causing him to nearly knock the puzzle's box off of the table.

"Oh, it's you Tea!" Yugi exclaimed.

She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "What are you doing up at four in the morning?"

By way of response he held up the completed puzzle. "It was calling to me, so I came to finish it. After that I wasn't tired, so I decided to do a little research for work. You should go back to bed, I'll be there in a minute." He supposed that he might as well try to sleep.

He shut down his laptop and gathered his stuff. For a moment he thought he saw something reflecting outside his window, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light. Had been up for almost 24 hours and he knew what exhaustion could do to your head.

The next day he invited everyone over for dinner. Seto didn't want to make the commitment to come in case something went wrong on his company's latest project, and Mokuba felt the same way, but with a bit of help from Mokuba's wife (who had decided to visit her parents, who had had a scare at the hospital while she was at the convention), he had managed to convince them by telling them that he an announcement for them. He was going to wait until they met in person, but when dealing with Kaiba family it was best to be upfront. Joey, Mai, and Tristan had all agreed to come without second thought, although that was hardly surprising. It wasn't uncommon for one of them to pop over at random times, including dinner. Both Yugi and Tea came from small families, so they had become their extended family. They always made extra in case someone decided to come over.

"Have you called-"

The doorbell rang. They opened the door and saw Ishizu and Marik standing on their door step. "Please forgive us for arriving unannounced, but you were about to invite us over, were you not?" Ishizu said before Yugi even had a chance to ask. He noticed to that she was standing with one foot forward, as if he were pharaoh.

"You're right, but really, there's no need for that."

"Yes, there is." Marik insisted.

Yugi looked up at the clock. It said it was 5 o'clock. "I'll be right back, just let me close up the shop." Yugi left before they could protest. That day was particularly slow, so closing up was no hassle.

He walked back inside the house only a few minutes later. "Sorry about that. So Marik, how have things been?"

Marik shrugged. "About as well as can be expected. Right now the pharaoh's tomb is as safe as ever because it's in ruins, but people have been going missing. I've temporarily taken off of work because we've had a feeling that something was about to happen. I'm just glad that I didn't get the rod because…." he trailed off. "Never mind," he said dismissively.

"What is it?"

"It's just." He lowered his eyes lap. "I was afraid that too much stress on top of having an item would have been too much. I was afraid that my dark side would be reborn. I was a real bastard even when I had him under control." He looked up and gave a half smile. "Well, it's a moot point anyway. Kaiba has it, and can I just point out how ironic it is that the one person who absolutely refused to believe in shadow games even after witnessing one now has possession of the millennium rod?"

"I think he'd agree with you. Do you know what his reaction was when he realized he had it?" Yugi asked.

"What is it?"

"He told Yugi to get rid of it," Ishizu answered for him. "He even offered to pilot a private jet back to Egypt himself."

Marik burst out laughing "Don't tell me he's actually done it!"

"Actually Marik, we were attacked by a duel monster the day he brought it over here, and since the puzzle was still in pieces he had to fight them off using the rod. It would be pretty hard for even Seto to deny it after using an item."

Tea walked in with flour in her hair and face and a splash of some sort of sauce on her blouse despite wearing an apron. "Sorry guys, I underestimated how long this was supposed to take. I need to have dinner ready by the time Joey and Tristan get here; otherwise they'll eat us out of house and home! Do you need anything?"

"We're fine, thanks Tea. And ah…" he motioned to the general area of his face that corresponded to the part that had flour on it.

"I know! I seem to be perpetually covered in flour these days." A loud timer sounded from the kitchen.

"That'd be the bread. Sorry guys, I've gotta run!" She ran back into the kitchen.

"She doesn't seem the type," Marik whispered, conscious of the fact that the subject of their conversation was only the next room over.

"After that run in with Bakura she's taken up baking." He whispered.

"I see…" Ishizu considered. "You are being asked to handle more than anyone should ever have to handle, and she does seem like the nurturing type, so it is not so surprising that she is coping by baking." Ishizu leaned over and covered his hand with hers. "How are you handling all of this Yugi?"

Yugi touched the puzzle hanging around his neck. "I'm fine. We'll get through this together just like we always have. Things don't seem so uneven now that we've found the puzzle."

 _Yours is not a hopeless endeavor._ He heard the pharaoh. How had he heard the pharaoh? He stood still for a moment and observed his friends. Was he the only the one who could hear that? Because the pharaoh had taken to speaking to him through dreams he had assumed that it was because he could only speak to them when they were in immediate danger. Marik and Isis were carefully observing him.

"Are you okay?" Marik asked.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?"

So the Pharaoh had spoken to him through a link, the way that they used to talk. Did it go both ways. _Thanks, I needed that._ He silently thanked him. Should he tell them, then? "The pharaoh was just agreeing with me that it's not is the first time that he's spoken with me outside of a dream in a while, so I was just as surprised as you are."

While Marik looked only a little relieved, Ishizu had become much more relaxed. She had grown up with stories about the Pharaoh. To Yugi Atem was a friend and a brother, but to Ishizu he was a larger than life figure, and her king. Reassurance from him meant far more than it ever would coming from someone else's mouth. Marik had rebelled for so long that even though he greatly respected the pharaoh, he did not revere him in quite the same way that his sister did. "So is his spirit inside of the puzzle again?" Marik asked.

"No, that would be nearly impossible! He is still in the afterlife, is that correct?" She looked towards Yugi for confirmation.

"That's right. My soul is the only one connected to it. Trust me, I'd know if his soul was still inside the puzzle." He still shared a bond with his friend from years of sharing the puzzle, so he would have known if his other self was so close by. It was an instinct, something that was difficult to put into words, but very real. Just knowing how to use the puzzle was largely instinctual, so was his connection with the pharaoh. Once he knew that there was another spirit inside of the puzzle it took almost no effort to communicate. All he had to do was think with the intention of the pharaoh hearing it and he would. "You guys know how it is. Even Kaiba knew how to use his without even thinking about it, although from the look on his face you'd think that he was in the middle of some sort of existential crisis."

Marik chuckled. "He probably was. Do you know much it took for him to even concede that we weren't making everything up? He must have thought you had Multiple Personality Disorder or something for the longest time."

"Yes, he is rather obstinate isn't he?" Ishizu agreed.

"If you dorks are done laughing at my expense, I need to speak to Yugi." Yugi hadn't seen him enter, but when he turned his head he saw Seto Kaiba standing next to the couch.

"When did you get here?"

"Right around the part about my existential crisis." Luckily for them Seto looked more amused than angry.

"Sure, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What do you think I wanted to talk to you about?" He snapped.

"If it's about the millennium rod you may as well ask me in front of them-they'd probably know better than me."

Seto rolled his eyes in frustration. "Aren't you supposed to be an expert on all of this nonsense?"

"Actually, I've never used the rod," Yugi admitted. "Marik and Ishizu are your best bet."

"Fine, has anyone else had these dreams?"

"I've been dreaming about the future," Ishizu said, "although I don't think that was what you were really asking."

"I've been talking to the pharaoh in mine."

A sudden eagerness entered Kaiba's eyes. "These dreams, do they seem real to you?"

"They do, but that's because they're real. It's the easiest and most admissible way for him to contact me."

"Lately I've been having these dreams about _him."_

"Him?" Yugi wondered who ' _him_ ' was. And then it clicked. He meant Priest Seto. Interesting… "You mean Priest Seto?"

"Yes, like I said, _him_."

Yugi now knew what he meant. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't going crazy. "You aren't imagining things and you're not going crazy." Yugi tried to gently reassure him. "What did he tell you?"

"Why does it matter? All of that teamwork stuff is bullshit anyway. I work best alone."

"Seto, being a high priest made him something of an advisor to the pharaoh and meant that he has experience with shadow magic. He helped to defeat-" _do not say his name._ "-the darkness the first time. If he gives you advice, you should listen."

Seto rolled eyes. Why did he ask if he knew what Yugi was going to say anyway? "Fine, he warned me that we need to find the other items soon so that they can be used in conjunction with each other."

Yugi nodded. "The Pharaoh had something to say about that too. He-" Yugi stopped. Now wasn't the right time for that. There was a reason that he had called everyone together before their scheduled meeting.

"Hey man!" Tristan waved from the place near the front door. "How's it 'hangin?" Should he tell him that he was getting too old to talk like that? In some ways Tristan had matured faster than the others, but in other ways he was still the eternal teenager. It was okay in their early twenties, but the closer they got to forty, the weirder it began to sound.

The rest of the gang had arrived. Tea walked out the kitchen with her apron still on to greet their old friends. Only the smile was missing from her face. She looked frazzled, and was covered in even more food from cooking. "I'm so sorry guys. I don't know what happened. I burned the meat to a crisp and the other dishes won't cook. Nothing's fit for-" The fire alarm went off. "Damn it!" Tears of frustration began to side down her cheeks.

She ran into the kitchen. Joey climbed onto a chair to turn it off temporarily. "There! No worries Tea, that was easy. Why don't you just take it easy? We'll order pizza or something!"

"Come here," Yugi said. Tea immediately did as he suggested, and then hugged her husband. "Joey's right, we should order pizza and rent a movie. It'll be like when we were teenagers!" They all used to get together at Yugi's house and watch movies as they feasted on pizza, soda, and junk food. Now that they were adults nearing their forties, they rarely indulged in the same way because their waistlines couldn't handle it.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I don't even know why I'm so upset. This is hardly the first time I've burned something." The first years of their marriage were filled with slightly burned food because although they would alternate who cooked, neither of them knew how to cook very well. Both of them had burned their fair share of dinners before they got the hang of it.

She sat down and let Tristan pour her a glass of wine. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring over something a little harder?"

"That's not a good idea. The last thing we need is for anyone to get drunk right now, especially since we have a child in the house." Tea said.

"Mooom!" They could hear Akari's whine from the table that she had been studying at.

"You should be studying," Tea shouted.

"How am I supposed to study after all that commotion?" She shouted back.

"Fine," she sighed. "You can come talk with us for a little, but only because we have guests."

She gladly took a seat next to Joey. "So...any boys you want me to beat up for ya?" Joey asked.

Mai snorted, "I think you and Tristan have made sure that she's more than capable of defending herself." Joey and Tristan made sure that she how to fight, and not just in the most basic way taught in self defense classes. They knew how tough the world was and how dangerous people could be. At one point Joey and Tristan had been bullies themselves, and Joey had even been in a street gang for a while. Mai had even learned some basic self defense while she was working on cruise ships in order to fend off angry drunk passengers and had pitched in with the lessons sometimes. Tea had not been pleased, but after his own experiences being bullied Yugi got her to let them teach her.

"Nope, no boys." She didn't seem to happy about that. "No good ones anyway. They all just want a chance to come to my house to see Dad," she made a face.

"Huh, life must not be too easy with a celebrity for a Dad." Tristan remarked.

"You get used to it." Mokuba said. "I'm glad I never had that problem. The girls were all to afraid of Seto. That's why I love my Risa. She was the first girl who could look him the eyes and put her foot down."

"Why would anyone be afraid of Uncle Seto?" Akari asked. Silence fell. no one dared explain to the girl why one of her favorite uncles (although if you asked her they were all her favorite) was scary.

Seto turned to the girl and looked her in the eye. "One thing you'll learn when you're an adult is that people naturally fear their betters. When they come across someone with a superior intellect they can't help but feel intimidated because they know that they can never meet your standards."

"But if I were like you or dad I wouldn't want anyone to fear me!"

He reprimanded herself deprecating remark sternly, "No niece of mine will ever lower herself in order to avoid offending the sheep. You are better than that!" In a twisted way he did have a point, although he didn't agree that was why people feared him. People feared him because he could be ruthless and calculating and knew how to manipulate people

"I think that what Seto's trying to say is that when people see a trait they want they sometimes get jealous or a little intimidated. He is right that you should never try to lower yourself to avoid intimidating anyone, although you shouldn't purposely try to make people fear you. " Tea corrected. "Isn't that right Seto?"

He took the hint and agreed. "Fine, she might have a point." Seto usually would have argued, but Yugi thought that he may have backed down because Tea was already a nervous wreck over her family as it was.

"Thank you."

"So what are we going to do until the grub gets here? I'm starved!" Tristan exclaimed.

"Why don't we rent a movie? Any ideas?" Yugi asked.

"What about the new Marvel's movie? Super heroes are kid friendly aren't they?" Joey asked.

"But don't little girls typically like, I don't know, girly stuff?"

"Hey, I'm not a little kid!"

"How rude!" Mai exclaimed at the same time. "What does that have to do with anything Tristan?"

"Woah there!" he held up both hands in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that! I just forgot that she's a teenager now. I keep thinking that she's still seven years old and carries a tiara around with her everywhere."

Mai backed down and smiled affectionately at her niece. "Oh fine, I guess I can forgive your slip-it is understandable. It does seem just like it was yesterday that she forced everyone to play princess and her kingdom with her."

She had somehow managed to get everyone involved. Of course Tristan and Joey pretended to be her knight and court jester most often. Yugi, Anzu, and Mokuba had frequently switched roles. But Seto, who had somehow managed to get dragged into, it saw an opportunity to begin molding her mind for success at a young age. "If I'm going to get dragged into playing make believe I may as well make sure she gets something out it," he had told them. So he was her advisor. He used it to introduce her to ideas like supply and demand and instill a work ethic in her. Yugi remembered that he once walked into the room to hear him asking her, "Princess, there's been a drought. What's going to happen to the price of food?"

She proudly responded, "Up!"

"Why has the price of food gone up?"

"Because there's not as much to go around as there was before." Yugi was proud of her response. It was pretty well reasoned for a second grader.

"That's right, so a princess has to pay attention to even these small details. What happens if prices rise too much?"

"People can't buy food and they all get really, really hungry."

He nodded, making the girl glow with his approval. "That's right. So you need to do what to make sure that people can still buy food?"

She broke her role. "Um...I dunno know. Why Uncle Seto?"

"You make sure that price doesn't get to a point where the majority of people can no longer afford to pay for it. That means you look for a way to bring the prices back down." Yugi was about to step in because he thought that was a pretty difficult lesson in economics for a child, but she looked like she was enjoying herself too much for him to bring himself to do it. She did not have as many opportunities to spend with Seto as she did with her other uncles so she cherished whatever time she get with him. By that age she already idolized him.

Yugi missed those days. "Sometimes I can hardly believe it either, and I'm her father. She's grown up way too fast."

Akari's cheeks bloomed with red and she hastily tried to change the subject. "Can we please put on the movie now? I'm fine with superheroes!" The group got into the movie, and had to frequently pause to make comments and make fun of the characters.

Before they realized it an hour had passed and the doorbell rang. They opened the door and saw Bakura holding a pizza box. "Special Delivery for Yugi Mutou."

Author's Note: I especially enjoyed fleshing out their relationships with Akari. Akari was the first child out of the group because Joey and Mai didn't get a married until a few years after Tea and Yugi and decided to wait to have children, and Tristan hasn't found the right girl. Yugi has always had a fairly small family so his friends became his family. That meant that from the moment she was born she already had two adoring uncles and an aunt. Seto Kaiba is a different story. I imagine that he has a weakness for children because he sees them as the most vulnerable members of society (Just look at what he did for the orphans with Kaiba Land). When Akari was a baby he might have kept his distance, but once she was a toddler she became too attached to him to keep his distance for long. He saw that she had a good mind, and decided to nurture it. This is partially because he thinks that Yugi and Tea won't push her enough. He first became "Uncle Seto" and then later became "Mr. Kaiba" on occasion because Akari liked to tease him. With that being said, she had him wrapped around her little finger from a very young age (the same with her other uncles). The only reason I'm putting all of this stuff down now is because there's no way for me to be able to expand on this as much as I'd like in the story. Maybe I'll write some one-shots if I get a good response.

-ForeverLily


	7. The Pharaoh's Riddle

Author's Note: I'm really sorry about this chapter-I had a little too much fun writing the Thief King, so some of his lines may be a little over the top. I don't actually know where I'm going with this except that this story does have an ultimate goal (which I can't tell you, of course, because I don't want to give the plot away). Beyond that I'm writing as I go because it feels more organic this way and I enjoy the journey more. I do have a vague plot line in my head, so don't worry, I'm not completely stumbling around. How can I when I have so many characters whispering lines in my ear?

I hope you enjoy your second update in two days!

Thanks to lalalei for her review, and to everyone else who has taken the time to read my story.

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes Chapter 7: The Pharaoh's Riddle

Joey and Tristan immediately got up and stood between the door and Akari and Tea. Kaiba stood tall next to Yugi with his millennium rod in hand..

"Now now, I'm not here to cause a fuss. I'm here to deliver a warning." A devilish smirk slithered across Bakura's lips.

"What do you want you little punk?" Joey yelled.

Bakura was disturbingly relaxed for someone that outnumbered. "You may want to consider calling off your attack dog before he gets kicked. Unlike cats dogs don't have nine lives, and not everyone can be as fortunate as you."

"Shaddup already or tell us what you came here for!"

Yugi agreed with the sentiment entirely. Surely Bakura hadn't come just to gloat? "Didn't you say you had some sort of warning to deliver?"

"Oh yes, very well," he waved his hand dismissively. "You should hand over the millennium items before someone gets hurt. Our previous encounter has proven to me how useless you've become in your old age- I'm rather disappointed actually. I had expected better from you. I suppose that's the curse of the human-even this body is starting to wear out."

"If that's all you came for, leave." Yugi firmly commanded. He wasn't sure that he had the stomach to declare a penalty game. The few that he could even remotely remember were gruesome affairs in which Yami had always had the advantage. Could he really best Bakura in a contest of skill with using their items? Yugi doubted it.

"To think, this is what I get when I try to play nice. Have it your way then." A malicious predatorial grin crept up Bakura's face and sent chills down Yugi's spine. "Well now, no one can accuse you of cowardice now can they? You're playing a dangerous game. Who would have thought that little Yugi Mutou would have the guts to stand up to me twice without his precious Pharaoh? Let the games begin-let's see what you're made of! This isn't the kind of game you're used to so I hope that you're up to task!"

"To your left!" Ishizu shouted. Yugi obeyed without question moved instantly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw gleaming metal.

Bakura grunted in frustration, "I should have known you'd be here woman. That certainly makes the game more fun because I know you'll be watching my every move just as I watch yours. For now I'll take my leave."

"Grab the girl-she's coming with us!" A shadow ghoul emerged from a shadow in the room and grabbed Akari. She tried to run, but was unable to because the creature was simply too strong.

He could feel the magic pouring from the millennium rod next to him. Seto must have been trying to control Bakura's mind and it clearly wasn't working. He'd had far longer than any of them to master shadow magic so he it was hardly surprising that he could block Seto's clumsy attempts at controlling his mind.

"You think you can control me boy? I am as old as the Pyramids of Egypt and I have been steeped in shadow magic from the time that I was child. How can you ever possibly hope to control my mind when you don't even know how to use your own millennium item? The priest was far more fun to play with!"

"I will not lose to an eternal teenager throwing a temper tantrum. Let the girl go or face the consequences!" Seto hissed.

"Let me go!" She writhed and kicked in hopes of forcing it to lose its grip.

"That is enough! Leave my daughter alone. I am who you're really after so face me like a man in a duel!" Yugi shouted with as much confidence as he could muster.

Bakura gave a mock bow and looked towards the creature that had somehow materialized behind him with Yugi's daughter. "Although I'm flattered by the invitation I'm afraid that I'm going to have to decline. The board hasn't properly been set yet!" Like the creature he too disappeared into the shadows. For a moment neither parent could move. Yugi just stood there, staring at the spot where his daughter had been only seconds ago. How had this happened to them? They had been so careful and yet all he all had to do was snatch and her run. Rational thought was nearly impossible as he tried to wade his way through the fear and anger that clouded his mind.

Tea whispered, "Akari," and fell to her knees.

Joey and Tristan both offered her a hand. She took them up on the effort and latched herself onto them. "My little girl…" she sniffled. "He has her. She's gone." With those words all warmth seeped out of the world. They had failed as parents.

"It'll be okay,"

"You'll get her back." They tried to comfort her.

"Snap out of it Mutou! This is not your fault! Instead of standing here crying like a child you should man up and do whatever it takes to get your daughter back! That goes for you too Gardner."

"It's Mutou," she sniffed.

"Whatever. This is hardly the first time one of us have been kidnapped." All eyes turned to Mokuba and Tea.

"He's right Tea. Just look at me. I've been kidnapped multiple times and I'm perfectly fine." Mokuba tried to comfort them, but somehow it fell flat. Yugi noticed that Marik looked slightly uncomfortable. Ishizu put a hand on his arm. He still felt bad for what his darkside did.

Mokuba's reassurance wasn't the least bit comforting. Both Kaiba and Mokuba had lost their souls when Pegasus kidnapped Mokuba.

However, they did have a point. Things worked out in end because they never gave up, so why were they mourning her loss when she wasn't even dead?

The Pharaoh used to be the dispenser of wisdom. Once he left there was a vacancy in that area, which was eventually taken up Mai. Once again Mai took up her role with practiced ease. "Instead of just standing here we should be trying to find the last two items. If we find them, we should be ready to confront that weirdo and save my niece. This is all some sick game to him, so we'll have to play along if we ever to get anywhere. I guess it's a good thing we're so good at games isn't it?"

With every last bit of strength that he still possessed he summoned up his courage. There could be no what ifs. There could be no doubt that he would save his daughter. "Let's do it."

"Does anyone have any idea where start?" _There is no need. I have sent them your way._ "I don't think we're going to have to look too hard."

"Why not?" Joey scratched his head in confusion. "We don't have any leads!"

"The Pharaoh says that he's sent them our way."

Ishizu closed her eyes and touched her necklace. "Very well then. I'm afraid that isn't much more that we can do. Something is blocking my necklace...perhaps their future is not set yet. All I get is a blurry image of a future yet to be decided."

"For someone who's not supposed to be able to contact us easily he is sure chatty." Was that resentment that he had heard in Tristan's voice?

"That's not fair! The Pharoah's doing everything he can for us and he doesn't even have to! He's done his duty, but he's still helping us anyway. He's a true friend and don't you ever forget that! The Pharoah's saved us more times than we can count and you still have the nerve to talk to him about that!"

Tristan had the grace to look ashamed, but he still stood his ground. "Look Tea, I'm not saying that he hasn't done some amazing things, because he has. He's done a lot for us and I'm not ask'en for him to solve our problems for us. It just hurts that Yugi get's to see him and we can't. I get that they have a special bond or something, but we're his friends too! We have a bond that can never be broken! At least that's what I thought we had…"

 _I never meant to hurt anyone. Explain Yugi, I think you know why..._ "He can communicate with me right now because of the magic of the puzzle. I don't exactly know how, but my guess is that he's using shadow magic to contact me that way, and because we are already connected and the puzzle was around his magic was attuned to his magic he is able to use it to communicate with me like when he was a spirit."

"I get that, but what about the dreams?"

"I think it has to do with…" how could explain it "our mutual destiny? We had what the other lacked, so we became really close. I mean, we shared a living space and a mind at times so not only did we very become close, I've become attuned to his magic."

Tristan sighed. "I know man, I know. Sometimes I just can't seem to help myself. We miss him too ya know."

 _I know. For me no time has passed, and yet a great deal of time has passed. I have watched you all grow and have separate lives but I remain ever the same here in...the other world._

There was such longing in his voice that it made something ache inside of Yugi too. What adult didn't long for the days when things seemed simpler and he felt invincible? "Yami feels the same way…"

"Why'd you just call him Yami anyway Yugi? Isn't it always Pharaoh this and Pharaoh that with you boys?" Mai asked.

"It's just a slip of the tongue. That was what we called him before we found out that he was a Pharaoh. I just..." Yugi found himself a little out of breath all of a sudden. What was wrong with him? Was he coming down with something? "I just sometimes…" he could feel himself growing light headed.

 _Yugi!_

"What just happened?" Yugi mumbled as he looked around. He seemed to be…why was he on a blimp?

When he saw Atem standing in front of him he knew. "I passed out didn't I?"

"It appears that your body is still becoming acclimated to shadow magic. I have been using it to speak with you, so you were overwhelmed and your body shut down in order to process it. I'm sorry-I never meant to bring you any harm. If I had known-" For some reason the Pharaoh's face grew dark and he lowered his eyes solemnly. He looked haunted by something.

"How could you have known? I guess it's true what they say-the young adapt more easily than adults. This isn't your fault. You need to stop acting like you just attacked me or something. I'm fine, just a little tired." His old friend was thoroughly ashamed of himself, but for what? It really was an accident.

"There is no excuse for my carelessness! Sometimes I forget that you're not used to this anymore, but I shouldn't have. It seems that I've broken my promise to you."

Suddenly Yugi remembered that this sudden exhaustion was not a new phenomenon. "This isn't the first time this has happened is it? Do you remember the final duel with Pegasus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when we dueled in the shadow realm and we used that strategy where we switched every turn?" Yugi could remember it vividly. With each turn had felt the energy being sapped from his body until he started to feel lightheaded and couldn't stand.

"I remember. However, there is one key difference."

"What's that?"

"It was unavoidable and the fate of the world was riding on that duel. Once again I've fallen into the sin of greed."

Once again? "You're not talking about what happened just now, are you?"

"I never understood how you could forgive me for what I did that day. I could never atone for what I've done. I vowed that I would never cause you harm and I've broken my promise."

That day? What was he talking about? The Pharaoh had never hurt him on purpose? He thought back. There was only one thing that the Pharaoh had felt so much guilt over. "You still feel guilty over using the orichalcos don't you? Do you blame Mai?"

"No, of course not! The orichalcos had used her."

"So why would you blame yourself?"

"I knew what it did, and I knew that it was a corrupting influence, but I couldn't lose."

"Has being pharaoh gone to your head? You're not perfect pharaoh, no one is. So you made a mistake, big deal. You took responsibility and fixed your mistake. You've got to let it go-I was never angry about it in the first place!"

"I don't think that's a good idea. For now on I should only connect to you that way in an emergency. Otherwise we can meet in dreams such as this."

Yugi agreed with him. He couldn't be much help unconscious. "That might be a good idea for now. Besides, you've done too much for us already. I don't want you to get in trouble with your gods on our account. Didn't you tell me that there are rules about what you can and can't do for us?"

The Pharaoh gave an almost Kaiba like smirk. "I am a pharaoh, a vessel for the gods among my people. Did you truly think that I would not be able to bend the rules for something like this? The Thief King nearly ended the world twice, and since I am a vessel for the gods I was able to justify helping you...for the sake of the world, of course."

"That was surprisingly manipulative of you." On second thought, maybe it shouldn't have been all that surprising. He had never really had the chance to know who he was with his memories intact, and there were those penalty games in very beginning. Yugi supposed that who he was after they had begun their journey together had eclipsed the memories of what he was like in the very beginning, when he had perhaps earned the name Yami.

"Yugi, have you forgotten the reason why we were brought together?"

"To save the world."

He chuckled a bit at this. "Well, that was the overarching purpose, but the reason that we were brought together is because I am a strategist and I am confident, perhaps even to the point of arrogance. If I couldn't even make a good case for helping you with your destiny what kind of pharaoh would I be?" There was a short pause. "However, If I could do more I would. I don't blame the others for being unhappy with me-it does seem unfair that I am able to communicate with you almost exclusively, but you are my other self, my descendant, and my former vessel, so it is much easier to justify my actions. They are my friends too, so I wish to help them as much as I can."

Yugi understood their point, but thought that it was unfair for them to hold something like that against him. "I think that they know. I think that we're all just a little frustrated with the situation more than anything. Our lives and souls are at stake and we don't know what to do about it. It reminds me of battle city all over again. This blimp isn't helping, by the way. It's _the_ blimp, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yes. I thought it seemed appropriate."

"Maybe next time you could pick somewhere that none of us were almost killed." Yugi suggested. He wasn't really annoyed about it, but he would like to be somewhere that evoked a pleasant memory for once.

"And where might that be?"

Yugi couldn't answer that. He was stilling living in his hometown, in the same house, and working in his grandfather's shop. There wasn't really anywhere in Domino where someone hadn't tried to kill him.

The Pharaoh chuckled, "I thought so. Even before you solved the puzzle your luck wasn't much better."

"Why do you always have to be right?"

"I am Pharaoh," he teased. "Even when I'm wrong I'm right." This was weird. His sense of humor hadn't changed much, but it had changed just enough for Yugi to realize how little he still knew about his friend.

When he saw the expression on Yugi's face he quickly corrected himself. "I was joking Yugi. I am right about as often as any other person, and I am quite aware of that. When I start getting arrogant Mana puts me in my place."

"I know you were, I just have a whole lot on my mind." He couldn't lie to him and tell him that it was nothing, because how do you lie to someone you've shared a head with?

"What is it Yugi?"

"I have a lot of things on my mind. My daughter's missing, we still don't have a clue about what we're doing, and I'm feeling nostalgic. I can't forget how weird this is. Lately I've been feeling more and more nostalgic. I'm told it's pretty common once your children hit their teenage years."

"I feel nostalgic as well."Something shifted in his demeanor. Where he was relaxed before, now he stood tall and. The man before him had gone from being the casual friend to the self assured leader. This was the man who had faced Pegasus, Marik, Dartz, and the Bakura. "All will be well in the end Yugi, I promise. I give you my word that you will find your daughter in one piece-I think you'll find that she's stronger than you realize. I'll do what I can from the other world and you'll do what you can from your world. Together we'll succeed, like always." For some reason Yugi felt so much more confident than he had before. There was something about his friend that inspired confidence in him that everything was going to be okay. "Until next time I have something that you must remember: The two will come without much fan fair-one is a prince, and the other a would be queen. Wait until the seven are gathered and my cousin and I will set the board. You must prepare to play a game of a darker kind, both as pawns and the queen. Prepare yourself Yugi, it will test you in ways you don't realize." What the hell was that supposed to mean? He got the seven were the items, and he and Priest Seto would help them, but what did the rest of that mean?

"Are you being this vague because you have to, or are you doing this because you get some sort of sick enjoyment out of it?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you more than that until the time is right," he said apologetically.

"And that will be?"

"That's up to fate isn't it? And Yugi," Yugi found himself desperately hoping that it wasn't another one of his riddles. "Remember what's important and everything will work out. Have faith." The pharaoh's next move took him by surprise. He pushed Yugi off the blimp."

Yugi woke up with a jolt. "I can't believe he just pushed me off of a blimp like that!"

"What?" Tristan asked.

"I was-"

"Speaking with the pharaoh."Joey guessed.

Yugi nodded. "He told me that the reason that I passed out is that my body is still getting acclimated to shadow magic, and because he used it to talk to me it caused an influx of magic and I had to pass out in order to process it. We agreed to not talk like that except for emergencies, and he also gave a riddle before he pushed me off of a blimp."

"A blimp?" Mokuba asked.

"It was the one from Battle City. Somehow he's able to pick the scene of our...dreams."

Seto cleared his throat "You morons are all missing the most important part."

"And what would that be money bags?" Tristan asked. "Right now we should be worrying about Yugi!"

"Magic can wait. We need to make sure that Yugi's okay!" Tea pressed a hand to his forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. Seto's right, we need to focus on the riddle. He said, 'remember that the two will come without much fan fair-one is a prince, and the other a would be queen. Wait until the six are gathered and my cousin and I will set the board. You must prepare to play a game of a darker kind, both as pawns and the queen.' Any ideas?"

No one spoke for a moment. Mai was the first to say anything. "I'm feeling kind of left out. I wasn't there for most of the Egypt stuff, so this is beyond me. I only know what you guys have told me. Why don't we start with the prince. Do any of you know of some prince from Ancient Egypt?"

"No. I know about Atem and Priest Seto and that's it. I don't know anything about his predecessors."

Ishizu gasped. "Perhaps we are looking at this a bit too narrowly." She looked straight at Mokuba.

"I don't get it." Joey scratched his his head in confusion. "How else are we supposed to see things?"

"Sister?" Marik asked.

"Surely you understand Marik. You know the ancient stories nearly as well as I do! Think hard brother." He looked at Seto, and then looked at Mokuba, as if willing himself to make some sort of connection, and then it clicked.

"Wouldn't we know already?" Marik asked.

"How are we to know destiny?" Ishizu sagely replied. "There is a reason for everything."

"Are you sure?"

"What are you two talking about?" Mai asked. "Care to translate for those of us not fluent in Egyptian history?"

"Five thousand years ago the Pharaoh managed to free the one whom he had been locked in battle with from his true enemy. When the Pharaoh sacrificed himself it was he who ascended the throne."

"Seto? But he already has the rod!" Tea pointed towards his millennium item. "It can't be about him."

"No, he wasn't a prince, but he was a King." Yugi said. He couldn't believe that it had taken him so long to figure it out. "If Kaiba's a King, then doesn't that make Mokuba a prince? He did raise Mokuba after all, and if you think about it, they do basically run domino."

While Mokuba looked a little embarrassed at this, Seto acted like all was right in the world now that he was reassured of his dominance over Domino. It wasn't power that he cared for-he just wanted control. It took Yugi years to realize that he used it like a security blanket. "You're wrong," he said bluntly. "He would have it by now if he were the prince."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. The puzzle wouldn't let me solve it until the time is right. I don't exactly know how Mana and Mahad are doing it, but I trust them."

Seto snorted. "I trust no one, present company excluded except Joey."

"You a-" Tea shot him a reproaching glare. "You Jerk." He corrected.

"Whatever mutt." It was an odd old dance between Seto and Joey that had started when they had first met and they had never grown out of it. The difference was that they did it then out of genuine animosity. Once they became friends they kept at it just because they both enjoyed bickering too much to stop. Neither of them really meant it. "We need a backup plan."

"If I'm the supposed 'prince' then why won't anyone let me get a word in edgewise?"

"Sorry kid."

"I think I stopped qualifying as a kid when I got married, Joey." Mokuba rolled his eyes at his friend-sometimes he just couldn't seem to help himself. "No can we please get back on topic? I swear, sometimes you're as bad as children. We need to stay focused if we're ever going to get to the bottom of this."

"Mokuba is right, and at the same time wrong. We need to stay focused. However, he is wrong in that he does not think that he is the Prince. I still cannot see a clear vision of that part of our future, but I believe that he is the most likely candidate. Now that Seto has accepted his fate will you deny yours?" Something about Ishizu's voice didn't sound natural. He couldn't point out what it was, but it was exactly. Maybe it was the way she spoke, as if she had wisdom far beyond her years. "What will you do now Mokuba Kaiba, now that that you are the one chosen to wield such great power?"

"I haven't been chosen for anything!" Mokuba protested. "However, if I really do get one of these things, I'll do what I can to help. I still don't think I am it, thought."

Marik shook his head. It was futile to argue with Ishizu, and just about everyone knew it. "Mokuba, you shouldn't bet against Ishizu, with or without the necklace. I'm warning you now that she has the uncanny ability of being right all of the time."

"There's also the part about the prince arriving- I'm already here." They pointed out.

"But you did arrive without much fan-fair-nobody rolled out the red carpet or anything Mokuba. Sorry," Tristan elbowed him, "Hate to break it to you, but here you're just one of the guys."

Yugi started to get dizzy again. "Sorry guys, I know it's early, but I should duck out. You guys are free to stay over if you need someone to sleep, or if you just want to hang out more, but I'm…"

He noticed that Tristan wasn't moving. His eyes were pitch black as he began to shout in a voice that was not his own. "Audacious humans! You think that you have defeated me, but you can never truly banish me, for I am the darkness. As soon as the flame is blown out it returns. The world will bow at my feet and tremble at my will. For I am the mighty one, and one day soon I shall return!"

"Who is that?" Mai whispered in horror.

"That's-" Yugi covered Joey's mouth before he could say the name.

"It's the Dark One." Yugi whispered.

Tristan fell back onto the couch and looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You were just possessed by-"

"The Dark One. Names have power-He was just in the room inhabiting Tristan's body. Don't add to it now!"

Seto opened his mouth, presumably to make some remark about superstitious nonsense, but he kept his comment to himself.

More to himself than anyone, Marik said, "Let's hope the gods are on our side."

Author's Note:

I'm having way too much writing this! It's one of those stories that just seems to write itself. This is my first new attempt at a long multi chapter story since my one of my first stories, which was about seven years ago. I think that I've grown enough as a writer to be able to successfully make the attempt this time around. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Please read and review. Your comments mean a lot!

-ForeverLily


	8. Second Chances

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry if the spacing is weird. I didn't initially type it in word. I'm not entirely sure how it's going to look.

Thanks to angiembabe, lalalei, zaira fire, and to everyone else who has given this story a chance.

I hope you enjoy!

-ForeverLily

Chapter 8: Second chances

Slow clapping filled the horrified silence. "Well now, you never fail to disappoint Yugi boy. I came for a show and you gave me a spectacle! And Kaiba boy, how are _you_ handling all of this? The last I heard you were desperately trying to pretend that you had imagined the millennium items. I suppose that's a lost cause, hmm?"

How did Pegasus even get in? "As it just so happens I was sent here by the Dark Magician. You really should lock the door Yugi boy, you never know who might waltz right in...but I see I'm not the first." He brushed his hair to the side revealing the millennium eye. "The spirit of the millennium ring has stolen your daughter. Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm here isn't it?"

"When is it ever a good thing that you're here?" Mokuba remarked with uncharacteristic (but understandable) hostility.

"Hello little Kaiba. My, my they do grow up fast. How long has it been?"

"Seven years." When Kaiba Corporation was forced to do business with Industrial Illusions Seto was the one who handled it. Seto refused to let Mokuba anywhere near him if it could be avoided. Unfortunately, Pegasus had a knack for just showing up with no warning.

"Ah...seven. The number of completion. If that's not proof that this meeting was destined then I don't know what is." Yugi wondered how Pegasus could manage to act like that all of the time. He only got creepier as he got older. "All that's left are the last two items, and I think you know as well as I that they'll be here soon. Once they're here the real fun will begin!" Somehow Yugi didn't like Pegasus' idea of fun.

For the first time since his arrival he sobered. "Yugi, I know that I cannot atone for what I've done, but I'm afraid that I must ask for you believe me when I say that I'm a changed man. When I organized Duelist Kingdom I was young and bitter and allowed the darkness in my heart to consume me. Quite frankly I was shocked when I was deemed worthy to possess eye the first time around, but perhaps now I am truly ready to possess the eye until the time is right to give it up."

Someone knocking on the door gave them a fright, causing Tristan to trip over the coffee table. "Damn it! That really hurt!"

Tea carefully led him over to the couch. "Be careful Tristan! You were just possessed. You should really take it easy!"

"Thanks Tea."

"Don't mention it."

"Yugi." Ishizu and Marik had been so quiet that he had almost forgotten about them. "I believe that the person that we are waiting for will arrive quite shortly. The time has almost come."

The knocking persisted. "Let me go see who it is." Yugi looked out the window and saw a girl about his daughter's age standing there. He quickly opened the door.

The girl just stood at him, staring in awe. "Mr. Mutou. Hi...I'm...uh...Aiko. So I'm not going crazy!" Was she the one?

"Please come in. Can I offer you any refreshments?"

She shook her head no. "No thank you sir."

He motioned for her to sit down. She openly stared at Seto, and to Yugi's surprise he stared back as if he were trying to remember something. "Seto Kaiba. You're my inspiration! It's nice to finally meet you in person!" She shyly said. She blushed several shades of red and gasped. "I can't believe I just said that, wow…I'm uh...really embarrassed now. Sorry."

"So Kaiba's finally got an admirer huh? How cute." Mai laughed. "I think I like you kiddo. What's your name?"

She looked down and sat even more rigidly in her seat. "Oh, right! I'm Aiko and you're Mai Valentine! You're such an amazing Duelist. I mean, I'm not that into dueling or anything, but you were one of the best early female duelists. That Harpy Deck you used in Duelist Kingdom was amazing and...I'm babbling, oh god, someone please feel free to tell me to shut up now." The poor girl was shaking in her seat now. It was too much for her to be in the room with all of them. "I've been...this is going to sound insane, but I dreamed that this guy, he looked a lot like Mr. Mutou, but he was dressed like an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, told me to come to this house to discover my destiny and meet someone from my past. He didn't even tell me that it was a house, he just gave me an address. He also apologized that his cousin, whoever that is, couldn't talk to me. Is this making any sense?"

Yugi looked towards his friend. "Maybe you should take this one Seto."

"Why me? Isn't this your area of expertise?"

"You're more familiar with her part in all of this," he reminded Seto.

"Fine, I'll tell her."

It went without saying that he had her full attention. "Five thousand years ago seven items were created to put the ultimate power in the hands of a Pharaoh of Egypt."

"He did it to bring peace," Yugi corrected.

"If I'm going to tell the story I'm going to tell it the right way, not with the rose colored view you still seem to remember it all with."

"Very well then," Yugi conceded with a sigh.

"These items caused a psychopath to go on a rampage and side with...a being that represented evil. When the Pharaoh's son took over he was left to clean up his father's mess. Somehow the uncle of the Pharaoh was convinced to side with them. While the Pharaoh was out trying to stop them his incompetent court they let him slip through their fingers. A girl named Kisara saved the Pharoah's cousin from his uncle once he saw that he had been fooled by sacrificing herself and turning into a the blue eyes white dragon." He paused. "You look just like her." She had the same frail build, bright blue eyes, pale skin, and white hair as the girl, and Yugi wondered why he hadn't seen it before. "I'm assuming that you're supposed to be some sort of modern version of her like I'm supposed to be a modern version of the Pharaoh's cousin Priest Seto. That Pharaoh that you dreamed about sent you her because you are supposed to be meant to use one of the seven items in order to help stop the same beings who threatened Egypt five thousand years ago."

From the way she was staring at Seto you'd think that he had just announced that he had decided to give up making games and join the circus. "Do you really believe that sir? This seems too insane to be real."

"I don't really have a choice," He snorted and held up the item. "Do you see that puzzle around Yugi's neck, Ishizu Ishtar's necklace, and Pegasus' gold eye?" She nodded in response. "Those are some of the millennium items."

She shook her head determinedly."There's no way I'm destined for anything except earning a business degree. I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba, but I'm not that Kisara girl from Ancient Egypt-my family's not even from Egypt!"

Marik addressed the girl for the first time. "Let me tell you from experience that ignoring your destiny will only cause you grief. My sister and I are descendents of grave keepers of the tomb of the nameless Pharaoh. Our job was to protect the tomb of the nameless Pharaoh and wait for his return. When I was a child I rebelled. In the end it only caused me more pain and nearly destroyed me."

"Who are you?"

"I haven't introduced myself have I? My name is Marik Ishtar, and this is my sister Ishizu." He pointed towards his sister. "I used to hold the millennium rod and my sister now holds the millennium necklace."

"I appreciate the advice sir, but this is all just so far fetched...dragons and monsters don't exist, and neither does reincarnation. It's all just fairy tale nonsense!"

"Fine." Seto snapped. "I refuse to sugar coat this just because you're young-by the time I was your age I was running my own company. By ignoring this you'd be putting everyone you care about in danger. Even if you don't believe in all of this, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, there's someone out there who does and he will try to prevent you from getting it by any means necessary. That means that he will threaten, torture, and kill without hesitation to get his way. Do I make myself clear?"

She could no longer meet his eyes, so she only nodded. "Don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" Yugi asked.

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Your daughter was just kidnapped. If someone needs to be a little 'harsh' to avoid another kidnapping then it's a good thing I'm here because none of you have what it takes."

Tristan, like always, was the first to come to Yugi's defense. Yugi just hoped that he wouldn't antagonize Seto further."Hey man, you really need to chill out Kaiba! All he means is that this stuff can be so fucking surreal the first time. If she's got half the brains we think she has she would have understood the danger because we mentioned saving the world from the embodiment of evil. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get more serious than that."

"Since when are teenagers reasonable? Even I was a bit…"

"Evil, sadistic, manipulative…" Tristan filled in the blank.

"I was going to say unreasonable," Seto snapped. "If we're going to ask some naive teenager to help us she should know what's at stake. Treating children like morons only causes problems in the long run."

There was nothing that Joey or Tristan could say to dispute that, so they settled for grumbling in displeasure. Yugi sighed at their immaturity and decided to direct the conversation towards something a little more productive. "Let's discuss this like adults. If we are going to get Akari back we need to be rational, and arguing like children won't help anyone."

Yugi turned to Aiko and gently asked, "How are you doing with all of this?" If she were a normal person she probably would need some convincing, or maybe she'd just need to be reassured that she was not imagining any of this.

"So that thing around your neck...that's one of these items?" She quietly asked.

Yugi smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "That's right. It's called the millenium puzzle. I first solved it when I was around your age. You're in highschool, right?" She nodded. "My grandfather was an archaeologist who had uncovered the puzzle on an expedition to Egypt before I was born. It was just sitting on shelf in the back of the shop, hidden by boxes and crates of merchandise when I accidentally discovered it while playing. He told me that I could keep it, and encouraged me to solve it many times over the years. It took me eight years to solve it, and every time I nearly quit out of frustration my grandfather would urge me to continue. Do you know why?"

"He wanted to teach you about finishing what you started"?

"Maybe that was part of it, but the real reason was that he knew that I was meant to solve it. Once I placed the last piece in the correct in the correct spot I unleashed the spirit of the nameless pharaoh and the shadow games. I didn't know what was going on at first-In the beginning I blacked out every time the pharaoh took control of my body and people kept talking about things that I couldn't remember doing. When we finally were able to talk I began to realize how huge everything was." He figured that he probably shouldn't go into detail because he didn't want to frighten her further, considering that the man who was their adversary at the time was sitting on the couch next to them. "I had never been so frightened in my life. I was overwhelmed, scared, and I had begun to wonder if I really had what it took to help the pharaoh regain his memories. I guess what I'm getting at is that I know you must be frightened right now, so I'm going to tell you what he told me-whatever happens we'll face it together, and as long as we're a team we won't be defeated." She just stared mutely.

Mai leaned forward and asked Yugi "Is that why you were so freaked out when you dueled me in at the castle?" The girl was enraptured in the conversation. Two world famous duelists were discussing something that she had only read about in books.

"Not exactly. I had just seen a side to him that scared me. He was willing to win at any cost because he couldn't lose, and I was afraid that he'd hurt someone. I had just started getting to know him, so it wasn't like I knew him very well at that point. He nearly crossed a line that day and I was afraid that if he dueled too aggressively he'd hurt you too. You were the one who snapped us out of it Mai, so I owe winning Duelist Kingdom to you. If you hadn't I would have lost and Seto, Mokuba, and my Grandpa never would have gotten their souls back!"

Aiko was puzzled by the reactions of her idols. Both Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus looked embarrassed. Yugi could tell by her knitted eyebrows that she was trying to connect the dots. "The details aren't important now, but let's just say that I'm grateful that it helped us work things out. Afterwards we became really close. He was like a brother to me by the time he left for the afterlife."

"Seto, are you okay?" Mokuba asked his brother. Nobody outside of their circle would have even been able to tell that Seto looked out of sorts in the first place. Seto was a man who prided himself in his control, so that he relinquished it, if only for a moment, showed that something was truly bothering him.

"It's nothing Mokuba." Nobody had dared to tell Mokuba about what happened on the ledge because they knew that it would upset him. "I was just thinking."

"About what? I know that something happened that day. I can get you not wanting to tell me when I was kid, but I'm an adult now. I can handle it." Knowing Mokuba, he wouldn't take it well.

Seto was silent for a moment before staring Mokuba dead in the eyes. Yugi couldn't help but admire the way he met fear by staring it in the face and not letting it overwhelm him. "You had been kidnapped, and I needed a way to get into the castle, so I challenged Yugi to duel for all of his star chips using the first generation duel disk. When I realized that I was losing I stepped to ledge and told him that impact of losing might make me fall off…"

Aiko and Mokuba stared at Seto in wide-eyed horror. "Seto!"

"Yugi, the other Yugi anyway, tried to go through with the attack, but then he called it off. That was how I won in order to get into the castle."

"That was not the right way to handle that! You know that, right?"

Although Seto seemed a little guilty, Yugi knew that he would not apologize for something that he had deemed necessary. That was the thing about Seto Kaiba, he did what he had to do and nobody could stand in his way. Yugi had never blamed Seto for this because he had recognized his desperation. "At the time it seemed like I had no other choice. I will admit that it wasn't the most reasonable decision, but it was the best one that I could come up with at the time and I stand by it."

If it was possible Mokuba's glare directed towards Pegasus grew icier.

"Mokuba-"

"That's Kaiba to you." He snapped.

"Very well then _Mr. Kaiba_ , my past may be dark and my actions terrible, but surely you of all people know that people can change. Your brother is a changed man from the young man who first ascended to your adopted father's position."

"That's different! Seto's always been good, he just didn't always show it!"

"I believe Yugi boy may disagree with that."

Joey nodded. "I hate ta break it to ya Mokuba, but he was an even bigger asshole then than he is now. He did some pretty screwed up things when we first met him. So did Pegasus and Marik-hell, even Tristan and I weren't exactly upstanding citizens when we first met Yugi. Although we didn't try to steal his soul, we were bullies, and I was in a gang before I switched to domino high. If Yugi hadn't given us a chance who knows where we'd be?"

"Prison?" Tristan wondered out loud. "We'd have probably picked a fight with the wrong people and ended up in prison, or maybe worse."

"Fine, I'll work with him, but I still don't trust him!" Mokuba huffed.

"Fair enough Mokuba Kaiba, fair enough. I couldn't expect any more from someone that I have wronged so grievously. For now we shall have to wait and see which cards the spirit of the millennium ring will play next."

Tristan pointed to the wall behind them. "I think we already know."

Shadow Ghoul was spying on them from the window. "We need to stop that thing before it reports back to Bakura!" Mai shouted.

"I've got this. Grave keeper's Assassin, attack!" Ishizu commanded. Shadow Ghoul successfully evaded her attack and faded back into the shadows.

Yugi growled and summoned the Dark Magician. "Dark Magician, find Shadow Ghoul and destroy him!" He waved his staff, but it was too late. The creature was gone and was on it's way to report their progress to Bakura.

 **Meanwhile in the Domino Deals Motel:**

The spirit of the Millennium Ring sat on the edge of the bed twirling a knife in his hand. The news was unsurprising-he had been expecting it any day now. "So they're ready for the games to begin eh? The board has been set and all of the pieces are in place-it's time to see how long they can last without a Pharaoh to bail them out of trouble. What do you think Akari?" He laughed when he saw her glare. She looked like a kitten pretending to be a lion. Maybe to one of her little playmates school she would have frightening, but she was hardly as dangerous as him. "Come now little girl, how do you think your father is going to fare in this little game?"

"He'll beat you-he's the king of Games! He'll rescue me and then you'll be done for!" She spat.

He laughed again. The girl was more amusing than he thought she would be. He'd expected a sniffling, cowering girl and instead got one with spunk. "We'll see about that. I've learned a few things from last time. I'll win because I'm willing to do whatever is necessary. Can your father say the same?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then we shall see soon enough, won't we?"

Author's Note: What do you think of Aiko? I made her younger because I think that if she existed during the series she would have been drawn into things the same way that Kaiba was. That left me with having to find a way to translate Kisara into a new modern (and age appropriate) setting. Right now she's kind of shy and overwhelmed because she's the only one who has never experienced the items or magic, but do you think that anyone who looks up to Kaiba the way she does could stay that way for long?

As always, thanks to anyone who reads and favorites this. Please review and let me know what you think!

-ForeverLily


	9. Yugi's dark side

Author's note: I sometimes switch how Yugi refers to the Pharaoh because names can reflect how we see a person. Yami means darkness, and it was the name used to refer to him before they knew that he was a Pharaoh. I tend to think of 'Yami' as the person that he was before he got to know Yugi and learned from him. He refers to him as the Pharaoh because that was what he knew him as for a good portion of their friendship. Atem is rarely used he never had the chance to get into the habit of calling him that. If I use Atem it's usually just for , I know it's confusing.

On another note: I don't think that I've worked on anything quite like this part of the story. It's far darker than my previous work. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

-ForeverLily

Higher Stakes Chapter 9: Yugi's darkside

All of the the guests left for their homes and hotel rooms after dinner, leaving Yugi and Tea to a blissfully quiet house. "I love our friends, but I'm exhausted. It's been a long day." Tea plopped onto the couch.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with Pegasus being here. I don't think that I've ever seen Mokuba act that hostile towards anyone."

"I can't say I blame him. He still gives me the creeps, especially since he has the eye back. I know that he's on our side now, but I just can't forget that we nearly lost you," she shuddered.

Yugi plopped down next to her. "At least we have all six people now. That means that soon we can start looking for her."

"Why can't we start looking for her now?"

"We need a plan. This is the person who nearly ended the world twice, so we shouldn't mess around with him. He won't hurt Akari because he needs her alive to serve as bait. I know that's not very comforting, but that's how things stand," he sighed. "Once we get our hands on the last two items we'll have to strike first-the first move gives the advantage. Come on, it's been a long day. Maybe we should go to bed early. We're both too exhausted to think clearly."

"Agreed."

Tea fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Once again Yugi found himself unable to sleep, so he got up and went to his old room. Lately it had become a place to think when he didn't want to lie awake in bed.

Not being able to go after Bakura right away was maddening. They knew that he had to be somewhere in the city. In a city like Domino there were any number of places where he could be hidden, and with all of that talk about setting the board he had to have something big planned. His promise was for a game like nothing they had ever seen, and they had to be prepared for anything.

"First we should bait him. Instead of hiding in our homes we should be out wandering the city with our cards and our items on hand. Let him think that we're easy targets. We need to draw him out before he's ready." The lights flickered again. "Chances are he wouldn't come out himself, but maybe some of his cronies will." The lights flickered again. Why was it only the lamp that flickered?

"Pharaoh?" The lights flickered again. "Once for yes twice for no?" The lights flickered once in agreement. "Why don't you just contact me through dreams? You said that you won't get in trouble for it right?" The lights flickered. "So then why? Are you afraid of using too much shadow magic?" They flickered again. "I was fine in the past. Besides, how am I supposed to build up tolerance if I'm not exposed to it? Why can't we?" The lights flickered twice. "There's no changing our mind is there?" The lights flickered in agreement. "You've got to stop blaming yourself for putting us in danger." The lights flickered twice. "You're too stubborn for your own good, but thanks. It isn't much of a plan, but at least it's better than nothing. Why do so many of our plans involve waiting?" The Pharaoh didn't even have to answer because Yugi knew the answer. It was fate. Sometimes relying on fate really sucked.

"And Pharaoh?" The lights flickered once. "If I'm getting you in trouble please don't do anything else. We'll be fine. We're all adults now-we can take care of ourselves." The lights flickered twice.

"No we can't take care of ourselves?" Two flickers. "We aren't getting you into trouble?" One flicker.

"If you say say so. It's getting late, I should probably sleep. Goodnight Pharaoh."

Yugi crawled into bed and slept dreamlessly.

The next morning the decided to close down the shop. If they got any more attacks they'd risk endangering customers. Anzu still decided to teach her classes. Yugi was the main target after all, and they still needed to pay the bills even if someone was after them.

Tea hastily grabbed her bag. "Yugi, could you do me a favor and stop by the store today?"

"Sure, anything in particular?"

"Just get whatever looks good because after last night's disaster, you should probably be the one to cook dinner. I don't know if my nerves can take another disaster like that one."

"No problem."

"Thanks." She gave him a peck on the lips. "I should go before I'm late. Be careful okay? I'm not sure what I'd do if something happened to you!"

"I'll be fine."

Maybe fine was little too much to hope for.

He took the quickest route possible. It was difficult to not look paranoid when he felt an increasingly strong impulse to look over his shoulder as he quickly walked down the street. Don't make eye contact. Don't look guilty. Don't look scared. Just keep walking. Nobody seemed to notice because they had places to be. They were on their to work or had errands to run themselves, so why would they if someone was walking down the street a little more quickly than normal, even that someone was the King of Games?

Steps fell into rhythm with his and he increased the pace, but the steps increased to match his. As he walked he kept an eye on the reflections on the windows of shops and homes and noticed that he wasn't just being paranoid-he truly was being followed.

What was the best way to handle that sort of situation? Yugi decided to duck into an alley so that innocent people wouldn't get dragged into it.

"I'm guessing Bakura sent you?" He asked without turning around.

"You should feel honored that my master thinks that you're a worthy enough opponent to send me!"

"Hmph! Hmph!" someone cried from behind him. He hastily turned around. The man hid behind a cloak and he held a girl hostage.

Yugi took his deck out. "Fine, I'll duel you."

The man just laughed. "You think I'm stupid enough to duel the King of Games? We'll play a different game instead. He held out two decks of duel monsters cards.

"You'll need your deck for later, so I've been instructed to not harm it. We'll be using these instead." Why wouldn't Bakura want his deck out of the way?

"Place the stack on one hand." Yugi obeyed. "Now we take turns picking up cards with this." The man grabbed two knives seemingly out of nowhere. We can't take less than three cards at a time. Is that understood?" The man's eyes lit up with a sort of vindictive pleasure. He was enjoying this a little too much. This wasn't a man following out orders. This was a man with a grudge. Why couldn't he place him? Was he one of the Shadow Hunters?

"I'll do whatever you want, just let the girl go!"

"I can't do that-she's insurance to make sure you behave."The man was the first to go. He thrust the knife into the cards and held it up for him to see. " Three. Your move Mutou."

Yugi did just that. He exerted as little pressure as possible. "Three cards."

The man expertly stabbed three more. Yugi's hand started to tremble as he began to lose his nerve. He accidentally got 6 the next time. "Damn it." He cursed under his breath.

"Don't be nervous. Only your soul's at stake!"

Yugi tried to clear his head using the same method that he usually used for tournaments and public speaking, but it wasn't working. It was hard for Yugi to harm a card when he knew that it represented something very real. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but did he have a choice? If he didn't play the game he would lose by default and put the whole world in danger.

Yugi's heart pounded harder with each turn. When Yugi realized that they were nearing the end of their game he eyed the other guys hand. Yugi still managed to have the most cards left. The cloaked man was sweating visibly when he reached for the knife. He was terrified. If he lost there would be consequences.

Yugi tried to talk him out of it. "What's the point of all of this? Neither of us have to lose. Just end the game."

"No way I'm losing to a little punk like you. Don't you get it yet Mutou? This is payback for what you did to me!"

Nothing about the man seemed familiar, but the game was another story. Why couldn't he remember?

"All I wanted was to be your bodyguard...for a small fee of course. I thought I was doing a good thing by offering to protect a little wimp like you. How did you repay me? You sent me to my own personal hell!"

The memories came flooding back. The man's name was Ushio-He was Yugi's childhood bully. Yugi had little recollection of what Yami had done to him, but he could assume that it was some sort of shadow game. He must have been trying to imitate it. "I acknowledge that my other self had no right to hurt you. He was wrong, and I take responsibility for what he did while inhabiting my body, but you should let the girl go."

He held a knife up to the scared girl who was tied up next to him. "Throw the game and the girl walks."

"What happens if I throw the game?"

"I told ya, the girl walks. You also have to face me in a penalty game. When you lose you'll lose your soul. Oh, and one last thing," he smiled with malicious glee. "This penalty is different from the one you put me through. You'll see soon enough because you're weak. You just don't get it-you don't have what it takes to let the girl pay the price for your safety."

"No, you're the one who just doesn't it. I'll throw the game because I know that compassion and courage make me stronger. So here!" He held up his knife with one card. "I've broken the rules. I'm ready for your shadow game!"

"Excellent."

"Now let her go."

"Fine." He sliced the ropes and shoved her forward. "Go on then!" She just looked at him and looked at Yugi.

"Just go, I'll be fine." He whispered. She nodded and ran away as fast as she could.

"Now that's it's just you and me."

"That's not quite true." Bakura laughed sadistically as he emerged from the shadows. "I think I'll take over from here. I'm sure you're anxious to let the games begin, after all, you do claim that they are your forte. Tell me Yugi, did you know that there are two kinds of shadow games? There is the kind which you no doubt are most familiar with, where monsters are pitted against each other, but there is another kind, one which I find most fitting. People seem to think that you are some kind of bloody saint, but we'll see about that. This shadow game tests the darkness in a person's heart. It can only be performed by those with great skill with shadow magic or one who wields a millennium item. Which means that the moron over there is most unsuitable for the task. I on the on the other hand meet both qualifications."

Yugi understood better than Bakura realised. Even before he reclaimed the puzzle he still had hazy memories from when he first put the puzzle together. It had scared the hell of out of him to discover that the being that resided in it had challenged people who had wronged Yugi to twisted games and then sentenced them to a harsh punishment when they fell victim to their own faults. Ushio had been forced to live with the illusion of money raining around him that he could see and never touch. So Yugi knew that he was being tested, and that the chances of him winning were slim. "I know what you're doing. So what's it going to be?"

Bakura laughed. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out your greatest fault Yugi. I've known you since you were little more than a child, and a piece of me once lived in the very puzzle around your neck. You lack _faith_. It is delightfully ironic that the very man who is known for his belief in fate and the heart of the cards lacks something so fundamental to this belief. Even the great King of Games is a hypocrite! Your lack of faith is so integral to who you are that it will be impossible for even you to overcome. Isn't that why you needed someone who was stronger than you to fight your battles for you?"

Yugi wanted to yell at him indignantly, to defend himself, but deep down he wondered if Bakura was right. He was still afraid of making the wrong move. He still questioned every move he made. However, there was one thing that Bakura didn't count on. People change. Yugi may still doubt himself, but he didn't let it run his life. He took risks without second guessing himself now because he knew that giving in would do any good. "Are you finished congratulating yourself on a victory that you haven't even won? Let's get on with the game."

"Very well." A game board resembling Dungeon Dice Monsters appeared before them in the swirling shadows. "You are standing on a game board. Each turn you will roll the die and walk the number of spaces that you roll. The object of the game is to take the correct path and find your way towards me. Oh, and one more thing. You will have ten seconds to make a move before the space beneath you begins to crack. You have an additional two seconds before you fall into the shadow realm. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

There was something that Bakura wasn't telling him. It sounded way too simple, and the object of the game was to test the person playing. Even without whatever obstacles Bakura was planning for him winning would be difficult. 14 seconds to make a move was hardly anything at all. There would be absolutely no room for indecision.

"Fine." Yugi rolled a two. He quickly surveyed the board. So far the board looked clear.

"The clock is ticking…" Bakura taunted

"I'll move straight forward two spaces." So far everything seemed okay.

On the next turn Yugi rolled a six. H made his first step when the Earl of Demise blocked his path.

"Did I mention that there are a few obstacles? You have two options. Summon a monster, or roll again and go around. Since you have already moved one space whatever you will be minus one. Just keep in mind that your twelve second rule is still in effect." So now he was playing game without knowing the rules? Was it even possible for him to win a game blindly?

Would going around be more advantageous? Maybe not, there was not telling what he be against next. 2,000 attack points was too risky. He'd roll. Yugi rolled. Three. "I'll go one space to the right and two forward."

"I never took you for a coward."

"It's strategy."

"Cowardice, strategy, they're all the same for someone like you."

"I'm rolling again." Six again. He decided to move forward six spaces again. Maybe he needed a more aggressive approach. There was no was to know what was ahead, so he just needed to face it head on. "I'll move forward six spaces.

Summoned Skull glared at him menacingly. Yugi this wasn't the right risk for him to take. If he drew the right card he didn't have spell cards to back him up or build a strategy around. Yugi hated gaming without a real strategy. "I'll roll again." Four. "This time I'll move one space to the right and three straight." All was clear. He rolled again.

"Six. This time I'll move two to the left, one space ahead, and three to the right. Maybe if he changed directions he'd run into fewer monsters. He was wrong, and when he found himself staring at Gaia the Fierce Knight he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He would run out of space on the board if he didn't make a more decisive move. He was doomed. The odds were small, and there was no way that he could win a game that was designed to test his weakness. He as good as lost. He reached for his deck, but stopped. He only had one monster in his deck that counter it on it's own. This wasn't going to end well. _Believe in yourself._ Yugi heard. The floor began to quake underneath his feet. He could feel it start to crack.

"Two seconds."

"I summon the Dark Magician!" He said without looking. He peeked and saw that he had drawn exactly what he needed. "Oh thank God." He sighed. He was almost finished. Despite all of the shadow games he'd been in and the number of times he'd been close to death this was so nerve wracking. Despite the simplicity of the game it tested his inner strength, and in that way it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Preparing to sacrifice himself to save Joey on the pier that day hadn't been so difficult, neither was the duel with Pegasus in the Shadow realm. He stepped up without a thought-fighting for someone else was always easier than fighting for himself. Somehow he had always felt more confident fighting for other people. Now Yugi's greatest enemy was himself. He wondered how Bakura had known to make the game this way. It was as if he had stared straight into his soul.

"Don't look so relieved. You're not out of the woods too. Did you really think I'd make this so easy? What you've experienced so far wasn't the real challenge. Oh, and the time limit no longer applies. This is going to be far too entertaining to rush." He looked up

"Pharaoh? How?" Yugi gasped. No, that couldn't really be him.

"It wasn't too difficult convincing them to allow me to return in order to fix your errors." Something seemed off about him.

"That wasn't necessary."

"Oh, but it was. Bakura's been back for two weeks and you've nearly been killed and your daughter's been kidnapped. You weren't strong enough to make the right sacrifices for the good of man, and now all of you must pay the consequences."

This had to be some sort of mind game. There was no way the Pharaoh would be okay with him sacrificing the girl in order to win…. except that's exactly what he wanted to do when Kaiba had stepped onto the ledge in Duelist Kingdom "I'm sorry."

Yugi knew better than to listen, but he couldn't help it."No, _I'm_ sorry, sorry that I had to share body with someone so weak. You're just not strong enough to handle all of this-you never were. It's not your fault, it's just the way you are. I suppose that's why I'm the King of Games and you're the same frightened child in the body of a grown man." His words stung, but somehow they rang true. Yugi never knew what he was doing. He was a grown man and yet he still needed to use the spirit as a crutch just so they didn't get entirely overwhelmed by Bakura. The painful truth was that he had always felt like a fraud. For some reason he was the one that people seemed to lean on, but was it him that they were looking up to, or were they clinging to the memory of the Pharaoh that had once inhabited the puzzle?

Yugi stood, unable to speak as the Pharaoh looked on at him grimly.

"Just give up Yugi- you're never going to get past me. You should let me take your place. Nobody noticed the last time. I'm the one your wife is in love with-you were just the consolation prize. Isn't that right Yugi?" Images from his teenage years flashed through his mind. Tea's disappointment when she was landed with Yugi instead of the Pharaoh at their date in the amusement park. The way her face lit up after the Pharaoh took control. The way that people were so amazed by Yugi, when the person they were truly amazed by was the spirit who occasionally borrowed his body. "Your daughter would be ecstatic to meet the true King of Games, and I'm sure Seto misses having a true match for his skills. Most importantly," the Pharaoh's forehead glowed with the eye of Horus. "I am the one with the skills needed to overcome your enemies. While you run away from the shadows with your tail between your legs I stand strong against it while using it for my own purpose. How can you when you cannot even face your dark half?"

"You're not the Pharaoh. This is all some sort of cheap trick. End it now Bakura, I know this isn't really him!" It was the strangest of illusions-he knew that what he was seeing could not possibly be real, but he still found himself drawn in by his words. They were far more painful than they should have been, and some small part of Yugi recognized that they rang true.

"You are right-to you I am not the Pharaoh, I am Yami. Greed and pride have their tentacles wrapped around me and manipulate me like a puppet master deciding my every move. I covet what I have not earned and envy those are able to exist peacefully, and wrath flows through my veins as surely as blood, for I want nothing more than to wipe those who have hurt me from the face of the earth and dance on their grave. Or maybe," he gave a crooked smile, "Perhaps you can understand Yugi, I _am_ your dark side. All of my mistakes are yours."

The Penalty games, the ledge, the orichalcos...the stage around Yugi re played each incident in surround sound. Watching your own memories from a perspective other than your own is a weird experience-he had never been the type to carry around a video camera, and he had always refused to watch his own interviews because it was embarrassing seeing all of his quirks on television. Besides, these were the memories that Yugi has actively tried to forget.

The desperation in Seto Kaiba's eyes haunted him. It was true that he had stopped the spirit, but he was only seconds away from killing him. The fact that the spirit could do something like that and be okay with it had terrified him. But, the horrible truth was that if it was the only way to save his daughter he might've followed through on that move. What did that say about the man that he had grown into? Had practicality turned him into a man for whom the end justified the means regardless of who got hurt? The thought made him sick to his stomach. He had become the man that he has once feared.

The Penalty games...allowing Kaiba to walk off of the edge...lust for victory...they had all happened while the Pharaoh was inhabiting Yugi's body, so they were his mistakes too. The radical change in the Pharaoh had almost allowed Yugi to forget all about it. "What's this really about?"

"You have to defeat me in a game, of course."

The voices from his memory grew louder and louder at this. They were almost deafening, forcing him to watch as he relived the lowest moments of his life. He could feel himself sinking into despair.

Yugi took a good look at his old friend, wondering why he would do this to him. He saw arrogance cross his lips in a cold smirk that would have a made a much younger Seto Kaiba proud, and he saw vengeance in his bright green eyes. He knew those eyes. They were the eyes of someone that was in the thrall of the orichalcos. "I think I understand now...Yami." He understood that he was staring darkness in the face. "It's your move."

"Very well. Step onto the scale. If you can balance it before the other side touches the ground you will keep your soul."

Author's Note: I just wanted to remind you that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring hadn't been around Yugi since, well, Yugi's trip to Egypt. This means that his knowledge of cards is restricted to the 'classic' cards. These days 2,000 attack points isn't all that impressive, but it used to be big deal. Duels don't particularly interest me, so shadow games reflect a mixture of shadow games as they appeared in season zero Manga and in the English dub. The history is all canon and the shadow games they recollect occurred as they did in the anime, but I did use some of the pre-duelist Kingdom history from season zero manga.

-ForeverLily


	10. The judgement of ma'at

Author's Note: Hi guys! For this part I took inspiration from a myth that actually exists. I know it may seem like an odd choice for him, but I have my logic for it. Although it was hard to write it was necessary for the story and for Yugi. Hopefully you'll see what I mean. This is the second chapter this week, and next week I may be able to post two, but after that I will probably only managed to get one a week because I'm running out of pre-written chapters. I used the space in between to tweak them and edit them, but they were mostly written. Now I have to finish the second half of the story. I'll post as I finish each chapter so that I don't keep you waiting too long. Also, in case you were wondering about the name change, I've had two other names since I started using this site, and both have Lily in them, in honor of the Harry Potter series. I'm now in a different place in my life and I've grown as a writer, and I want a name to reflect that.

Thanks to angiembabe, lalalei, and all who have taken the time to read, review, and favorite Higher Stakes.

I hope you read and enjoy!

*I've changed the first paragraph for the sake of clarity. A reviewer pointed out that it seemed like Bakura has the scales (he doesn't).

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 10: The judgement of ma'at

Yugi took a deep breath and stepped onto the scales without a further word. By this point the memories were becoming dizzying and it was all that he could do to not fall off of his side of the scales. How had Bakura even managed to gain the power to do all of that? A shadow game that long should have been draining, and something as solid looking as the scales should have been difficult to create. For a brief moment Yugi wondered if Bakura had the millennium scales, but he realized that there was something off about it. When he concentrated enough to block out the loop of memories he could tell that the metal looked slightly different than what the items were made out of. The items were neither bronze nor entirely gold, although most archaeologists believed that they were made entirely of gold. It could only have a been metal forged by magic. There was real gold in the items, he supposed, but if you looked at the metal at just the right angle you could tell that it had something else that could not be named. The scale that he was standing on looked like true gold. Somehow in his panic he also managed to notice that although he was still surrounded by shadows they did not touch the scales or Yugi. Instead they made a circle to trap him, as if he wasn't already trapped in the penalty game. Yugi took a deep breath to steady himself while he prepared himself for whatever came next.

Bakura stared at him as if he were anticipating something, and when it didn't happen he looked away indignantly. What was he waiting for? Yugi looked across to the other end of the scales and saw a feather. He remembered something about the Ancient Egyptians believing that when a soul entered the afterlife it was weighed against a feather. " _You_ tried to throw me in the shadow realm using the darkness in my soul? Isn't that a bit hypocritical considering that you're aligned with the embodiment of evil?"

"There's evil in everyone, I'm just not afraid to own up to it, and now you will be held accountable for it." Bakura accused.

Yami smiled triumphantly, much like he did when an opponent made a particularly stupid move. "Don't think this is over. Do you see how the scale is a fraction of an inch off? That is because it is slowly tilting towards the ground. You may not be sinful, but your soul still is marked by the shadows."

Familiar faces began to appear on the other side. "Because of you my big brother was hurt!" He heard a child version of Mokuba yell.

"You really scared me Yugi! I'm always afraid that something will happen to you! You force me to live my life in fear!" His wife cried.

"If it weren't for you playing hero with that damn puzzle I never would have experienced the shadow realm!" Mai yelled. "Can you imagine what I saw? Can you even begin to comprehend the torture that I went through for the sake of your silly games?"

"My family thought that I was insane!" A childhood bully protested. "It's your fault that I was locked away in some hospital!"

His daughter looked at him with tears streaming down her face. It was painful to watch her cry and not be able to do anything about it. "Dad! Why won't you save me? Please daddy!" She hadn't called him daddy since middle school, and it only made him want to take the phantom of his little girl into his arms and not let go.

The last person to appear was himself. "I'm not strong enough for this. I'm too weak! How can I save the others when I can barely stand up for myself?" His counterpart morphed into a teenager. Unexpectedly, the pharaoh stepped on as well.

The pharaoh was dressed in full Egyptian costume, and his eyes were free of the unnatural green hue that they had taken under the orichalcos. "I am your other self, so I am a part of your heart. You must face the darkness within or face the consequences!"

He knew what he needed to do. He addressed Mokuba first."I never meant to hurt either of you. I was merely defending myself and wanted to help him. The mind crush may have been a difficult transition, but it crushed the darkness that was beginning to fester under his skin. Both you and Seto have forgiven me for it, so now I forgive myself.." The scale became more balanced.

The boy was next. "At the time my other self wished to give you a taste of your own medicine. While I don't condone what he did, you did need to be stropped. You took innocent people and slowly stripped away at people until they were left with nothing but shells of their former selves. What gives someone the right to use another human being like that? It is time that I forgive myself for that because I would never do that to another soul if I have a choice."

"You're right Mai, I can't imagine what you went through in the shadow realm, but it was not my fault. There's no interfering with a shadow game, and we had no idea who Marik truly was until it was too late. We didn't give up until everyone was saved Mai, including you. The blame lies with Marik's dark side, not with us."

Next he addressed his wife. "Tea, I know that being around me may put you in danger at times, but you yourself told me that one of the things that you love about me is that I always do what's right. You knew the kind of danger I was in when you married me, and you share my convictions, so I won't let my guilt harm our marriage." The scale tipped more towards the center.

"And Akari..." She gave a particularly loud sniffle. "I won't let him hurt you sweet heart. I fought as hard as I could for you, and I won't give up. Please have faith for just a little longer, okay?"

And lastly he addressed himself. "It's time that stop doubting myself isn't it? I've always hated that about me, but felt like there was nothing I could do about it. I will always be smaller than the people around me, and people will always doubt me, but I have responsibilities. I've never let that fear and doubt cripple me and I won't start now!"

"I understand now, Yami...I understand what you were trying to say. I was always afraid that I would become ruthless, but you've shown me that we all have a choice, and I can do what I need to in order to succeed without letting anger, hatred, and ruthlessness cloud my judgement. Most of all..." He started onto the proud eyes of his old friend. "You have taught me to believe in myself. Thank you." The scales rested evenly now as all of the phantom but the pharaoh disappeared." The pharaoh stood in front of the scales imperiously. "You have passed the judgement and are free to leave Bakura's game."

Bakura growled. "Since you won my shadow game I suppose I'll have to let you go, but don't think you've won just yet. I have more in store for you, and your daughter will witness it all!"

"Go Yugi, he cannot go back on his word without being claimed by the shadow realm."

"But you were only supposed a phantom!" Bakura exclaimed in shock.

"Did you think you were the only one with a measure of control over shadow magic? I resided in the puzzle as long as you were in the ring and received formal magical training. And further, I am pharaoh. I have control by divine right! When I saw what you were trying to do I was able to travel to the shadow realm to support him, although I could do nothing to help." He turned to Yugi. "Just consider it returning the favor." He winked.

"Thank you pharaoh." Yugi nodded his head in thanks, ran to the store, and returned home in record time. He knew that Bakura would need to time in order to plan his next move so he was safe in theory, but he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.

When Yugi arrived at the door Tea was anxiously staring out the window. She hastily ran to the door when she saw him wave at her.

"Yugi!" She exclaimed and wrapped her arms around him. "I was worried. You've been gone for hours. When Tristan called me and said that he thought he saw a shadow game I knew that you were in trouble! I nearly came after you but Priest Seto told us that if we did you'd be in even worse trouble! What happened out there Yugi? And don't you dare sugar coat it!"

He squeezed his wife back. " I think I needed to do it." He finally said after a moment of silence.

"Do what?" She asked.

"It wasn't the kind of shadow game with duel monsters cards. It was designed to take advantage of my insecurities and weaknesses. It helped me to remember some things that I had forgotten, and come to terms with everything that's happened."

She stared into his eyes questioningly. "I don't understand."

How should he explain? "Do you remember that bully from high school? His name was Ushio. Before I was aware that Yami lived inside of the puzzle he challenged him to a game, and when he cheated Yami called for a penalty game. Bakura recruited him. My first game was an imitation of the game he played with Ushio, and the second was a board game where I was piece and every move had to be precise. He tried to make me doubt myself. And there was one more component..."

"What was it? "

"He weighed my heart against a feather. I had to overcome all of doubts, regrets in order to win."

She hugged him again. "I've always known that you are stronger than you think you are." And then she softly whispered, "You've always been my hero Yugi. I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered back.

And then he kissed her, and he knew that somehow everything would be okay.

* * *

Yugi, Joey, and Tristan decided to have a guys night out at a local pizza place while Tea and Mai had a girl's night. Maybe decided wasn't the word Yugi was looking for. The decision was made for them by their well meaning friends. Neither of them felt like dealing with company, but he knew that they needed support and to remember what they were fighting for. They had initially refused the invitation until they were literally dragged out the door by their concerned friends. "No more of this mopin' Yugi! Bakura needs to regroup, and we know that he'll try to attack us no matter what, so why should we let him run our lives? We're goin' out!" Joey had exclaimed as he grabbed Yugi by the arm and tugged him out the door.

"Joey's right! You need to relax and Joey and I are going to make sure that you do! There's nothing we can do at the moment anyway, so why don't we rest so that we can regain our strength so that we'll be ready when the time to fight does come!" Mai said.

"Really Mai, I don't feel like going out." Tea pleaded.

"Sorry hun, you don't really get a choice. So either you come with us the easy way or you come the hard way."

Tea scowled. "Really Mai, I don't want to go!"

Mai sighed. "The hard way it is then."

That was how Yugi ended eating pizza with his wondered if they were afraid that he and Tea would do something stupid if they were left had tried to invite the others, but they all had work that they had hoped to get to during their stay in domino.

"Ah...just like the good old days." Tristan sighed as he leaned back in his chair and shoved half a slice of pizza in his mouth.

"Nah, the pizza's gotten' better since then. Now that I think about it, why did we eat here anyway? The pizza was awful!" Joey wondered.

"I dunno man, you have point. The pizza was burned half the time, and the other half of the time it tasted like cardboard."

"Because it catered specifically to teenagers with limited pocket money." Yugi snorted.

"Besides, teenage boys will eat anything." Tristan snorted. Yugi decided to keep his observation that Jou and Honda would still anything to himself.

"So I propose a rule for tonight." Joey declared.

Tristan sat his slice of pizza down for the first time that night and started shaking his friend's shoulders. "Who are you and what have you done with my friend?"

"I promise you'll like this rule. I propose that tonight we don't talk about any of the Bakura stuff. No magic, no shadow games, and no millennium items. Tonight it's just three pals and this delicious pizza!"

"Agreed. I think we could all use a break. It's a shame Seto and Mokuba couldn't come. If anyone could use a break it's them." Yugi leaned back and took a sip of his soda.

Joey snorted at this while drinking his soda and broke into a coughing fit. Both Yugi and Tristan waited for him to continue. "Please, the man's married ta his work."

"Moneybags wouldn't take the night off even if he was in the hospital, especially considering that hell's somehow frozen over and he hangs with us one night a week for dinner." Tristan agreed.

Yugi couldn't argue with that and reached for his second slice of pizza. He looked down and saw that they ate it all. "Come on guys, really? I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

"Well so am I! I'm a grow'en boy." Joey protested.

Yugi rolled his eyes."If by growing you mean growing horizontally, then yes."

"I'm just going to order us two more pizzas. At least they can't kick us out if we keep ordering food." Tristan looked down at the menu. "How about we add sausage, chicken, and double cheese to these? I'm still starving!"

"Fine with me!" Yugi agreed. "I'm sure Joey won't mind either!"

"Sounds great to me! The more toppings the better." For a while they chatted aimlessly about mundane things. They talked about the latest tournament, movies, and work. Yugi decided that now was the time to tell them. He had been waiting for a good time to talk to them about what had happened with Bakura. He had told them most of it, but he hadn't gone into detail about what he saw.

"Hey guys…"

"Hm?" Both of his friends said through mouths of food.

Yugi found himself fidgeting in his seat. "I know that we promised to not talk about it...but I realized that I never told you about the game…"

Tristan swallowed the enormous bite of pizza that he had just taken (and Yugi could swear that he didn't even swallow)."That shadow game must have gone to your head because you've told us everything already."

"That wasn't everything," he sighed. "The truth is that he uses the shadow magic to find your fears and insecurities. I couldn't make a single mistake, I had to face my demons, and my heart was weighed against a feather. When my heart was weighed I saw Tea, Ushio, Kaiba, Yami, and myself…"

"Why?"

Yugi looked away. He almost couldn't get the words out of his mouth. " Well...It's just that...um...I...I've always felt guilty for dragging you all into this, and for what the Mind crush put Seto and Mokuba through. I mean...I've always been afraid that I couldn't handle the power and that by becoming involved with magic I was putting you all in danger."

"Yugi…" his old friends murmured.

"I know that's not true…" How egotistical was it for him to have believed that he could make them do anything?

"Of course not. Yugi, none of that was even your fault man. You were chosen for this, not the other way around. There's no way that anyone else could do what you've done. Let's face it man, fate's had it out for you since you solved the puzzle. You've never had it easy. Before I knew you I thought that you were weak, but that wasn't true then and isn't true now. Even with the odds stacked against you, you don't cower or back down, and you'd risk your own life in order to save someone else's. You've got nothing to feel guilty about except for suggesting that movie we went to last month." Tristan grimaced. "I still can't believe that I let you convince me to waste two hours of my life on a spy movie without any action!"

"I shoulda known that you would feel that way. Yugi, I'm going to say something that I don't think I've ever said before-listen to Tristan. For once the guy's finally started make'n sense." He glanced at his old friend. "Enjoy it while you can 'cuz who knows when that'll happen again."

"Hey, I resemble the remark!"

"Any way, my point is that you put too much on yourself. Yug, I hate ta break it ta ya, but do you seriously think that just anyone could have survived all of that without becoming a total nut case? Do you know how few good guys like you would have been friends with morons like us in high school? We chose to stay by your side 'cuz we _like_ you. That's all there is to it. We could have walked away any time we wanted but we chose to take those risks." Joey was suddenly embarrassed. "Enough of that-the only cheese I want to hear about is the double cheese we ordered on that pizza. Leave all of this touchy feely stuff for the girls."

Yugi didn't know what to say to that so he was glad that he had been allowed to avoid it. "You guys are the best."

Tristan took a bite of his pizza and casually agreed. "We know."

Yugi and Tristan got home at the same time. They hurried inside of the house and bolted the door before greeting each other with an embrace.

"Did you have a good time with the boys?"

"Yeah. They're the same as always," Yugi said fondly.

"Let me guess, Tristan tried to shove half of a pizza into his mouth didn't he?" She guessed knowingly. When he nodded she sighed and shook her head. "Of course he did. Some things never change."

Yugi brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. With relief he saw that the light had returned to her eyes. The whole situation had taken a toll on her because she felt helpless to save Akari. He was glad that Mai had noticed too and decided to help. "How about you and Mai?"

She grinned excitedly and held out her hands to inspect. She had painted her nails a dark pink color. "We decided to go to a spa. It was heaven! By the time our appointments were up I was so relaxed that I could've fallen asleep right there! Afterwards we went to a little cafe that opened up a few weeks ago and just talked. You know, I was worried about going out because of Bakura, but you were right when you said that we couldn't go into hiding forever. He knows where we live, and since you defeated him only yesterday he'll still need to regroup. Even though it might be hard, we can't let that creep keep us from living our lives."

Like always, Tea' grin was infectious and found himself grinning too. "I'm glad you guys had a good time. I think we both needed some time off, don't you."

"You're right! Now...why are we still standing in the doorway."

"No idea."

"Come on then!" She began dragging him towards the couch. Dancing with the Stars is on and I don't wanna miss it!"

Yugi found Dancing with the Stars boring, but decided against saying anything because she had watched countless tournaments with him without complaint even though she was never as interested in duel monsters as him. For her it was just a casual hobby, but for him it seemed to consume his life. Despite the many years since he was first introduced to the game his interest had never waned. "I'll get the popcorn."

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! This was kind of a short chapter because Yugi needed time to recover after the game. Yugi had to come to terms with himself, and that isn't an easy thing to do.

-TheEagerScribbler


	11. Hell freezes over

Author's Note: Chapter eleven was the chapter that I hadn't even realized that I needed to write until it was already written.

I have had some sort of name with 'lily' in it since I started on this site in honor of the Harry Potter series. As I've said on my profile, I'm in a different place in my life and I have grown as a writer and I want a new name to reflect that. For this reason I've changed my name from ForeverLily to TheEagerScribbler

Thanks for reading!

-The Eager Scribbler

Higher Stakes Chapter 11: Hell freezes over

It was nearly eleven, and Tea had just nodded off when his cell phone rang. At first he considered not picking up, but what if it was an emergency. Had something happened to the others? Luckily Yugi kept it in the pocket on the side that he wife was not leaning on.

"Hello?" He whispered.

"Mutou. Why are whispering like that?"

"Tea's asleep."

Before Yugi could get another word in Seto growled. "Meet me at my place." Yugi and the others rarely met Seto at his home, and nobody ever questioned it. The handful of times that they had been allowed through the gates had been out of necessity.

"Is everything okay over there?"

"The sky isn't falling yet, if that's what you're asking, but…" he could hear Seto sigh on the other end, "I just want to talk." Since when did Seto Kaiba ever 'just want to talk'. Maybe the sky really _was_ falling.

"Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes." He gently nudged Tea awake.

"Hmm?" She muttered.

He smiled and helped her off of the couch. "You should go to bed before you hurt your back."

"You're right!" She yawned. "It's been a long day."

"Seto wants to talk to me so I need to leave now, but I promise that I'll be back soon and I'll keep my phone on at all times."

"Just be careful." She hugged him sleepily. "Promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks tonight, alright?"

"I promise."

When he arrived at Seto's house Seto was still fully dressed in his suit right down to his expertly tied tie. Yugi wondered if the man ever actually relaxed.

"Sit." Yugi obeyed. For some reason his former rival had a way of making feel as if he were a child called to the Principal's office. It was a distinctly uncomfortable feeling, and Yugi began to wonder if he did something to anger Seto, and let's face it, that was fairly easy to do with a man with pride and an ego like Seto's. "You lived with a spirit for several years?"

Yugi was beginning to become genuinely concerned for his friend. Usually he had little patience for not stating the obvious, and here he was tiptoeing around the topic. Something must have been really wrong for him to act like this. "What's all this about?" Yugi asked tentatively.

Seto began to pace. "This Egypt business is getting on my last nerve! It was supposed to be over-all of this magic nonsense was supposed to have disappeared with the collapse of his tomb. I have been forced to increase my security, take possession of an item that I don't even want, and now I'm being haunted by the ghost of some former Pharaoh and I can't get him to shut up!"

Ghost? "Are you telling me that the spirit of Priest Seto has been visiting you?"

"I don't see him, I hear him. He sounds almost like me-I thought that I was hearing things until I realized that he spoke back."

Yugi saw the darker than usual circles under his eyes and came to the sudden realization that Seto wasn't built for the shadow realm any more than him. "How many times have you…" what was the tactful way to say this..."passed out?"

It was obvious to Yugi that his old friend would try to hide any show any show of weakness. But it was pretty late for that wasn't it? Seto had called him over late at night in order to confide in him-that alone told him that hell must have frozen over. "Don't bother denying it. I know that look-I've never seen you that level of exhausted before. I've felt it myself recently too, remember? It takes time for your body to build up a tolerance to shadow magic. Priest Seto wasn't such a bad guy. Why don't you just tell him you need some space?"

"I refuse to acknowledge anyone who thinks that they can just bully me into doing what they want." Because that's your job, Yugi nearly quipped, but he thought better of it. He rarely confided in Yugi, and insulting him would ensure that it would never happen again.

"You haven't tried talking to him?" Yugi was dumbfounded at the level of stupidity that his friend was demonstrating. "He didn't seem like a bad guy. He'd probably back off if you listen to what he has to say just once, and then politely tell him to back off. I should warn you though that ordering him around probably isn't a good idea."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"Of course not, I just meant that he may have once been a priest, but he was also a Pharaoh. He won't take orders well." He's also far too much like you for that to go over well, Yugi thought.

"The Pharaoh seemed to listen to you."

Somehow Yugi doubted that the Pharaoh would have taken orders well either. The reason that he and Yugi got along so well was because treated each other as equals, despite the fact that Yugi knew that could never truly be his other self's equal even before they knew that he was Pharaoh. "That was because we were friends, and he could usually keep a cool enough head to not let his stubbornness get the best of him. Mutual respect goes a long way." Yugi reminded him. Even someone as stubborn as Seto Kaiba could see the sense in that.

"Fine, I'll talk to him. How in the hell did you manage to share a space with one for so long?"

Yugi smiled fondly. "You get used to the company."

"I suppose that's good news," Seto grimaced.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're not telling me something important?" Yugi watched his good friend carefully and noticed that something wasn't quite right about him.

"Never put all of your information in one place." He simply murmured and turned away and walked into another room. He came back and produced a bottle and two glasses. "Vodka?"

"I thought you only drink wine?"

"You'd drink hard liquor too if you had to deal with the morons that I have to put up with-I just usually only drink wine in company because it is easiest to drink socially without becoming intoxicated. Someone in my business can't afford to allow their judgment to be impaired by alcohol."

"If you say so." Yugi shrugged.

Seto poured them both some. "Just take it already."

"Thanks." He took a sip and grimaced. Yugi had never cared much for hard liquor. "Can I give you some advice Seto?"

"Fine."

Yugi stared him dead in the eyes. He needed to know that Seto realized that he was serious."Don't run from this. I know you. I know that's your instinct when it comes to this stuff. Listen to him-he knows what he's talking about better than any of us. He and the Pharaoh know things that we don't and they can't tell us, so any advice they can give us is an offer that we can't afford to refuse…"

"I don't need their help."

"Yes we do! This isn't just about you! My daughter's life is at stake, and so is the entire world! Do you really think that you have what it takes to defeat evil incarnate by yourself? We have to work together!" Yugi was getting fed up with Seto's stubbornness.

"Another friendship speech? I get it, friendship conquers all, good conquers evil, believing in yourself is the only way, heart of the cards, I've heard the speech a thousand times."

Yugi had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Maybe if you'd listen to it I wouldn't have to repeat it. Whether you like it or not you can't just bribe Bakura or out lawyer him. We need something else."

"If you've got any better ideas let me know."

"As soon as Mokuba and Aiko get their items we act quickly and decisively. Everyone he wants to target is here, so if we don't he'll try to pick us off individually-he's not the type for a big over dramatic offensive. A huge part of his game is playing with our heads." He thought back to the penalty game. It was obvious that was trying to make Yugi doubt himself.

"So basically you have no clue either. Vague plans won't do us any good and you know it! Is that how your precious pharaoh dealt with things? He let himself be stepped all over by Marik and Bakura!"

"No! Well, sometimes he'd let them come to us and reveal our plans, but other times we searched them out. It all really depends on the situation. What would he do now?"

"I don't know." Yugi hated it when he asked that because sometimes he got the feeling that what they really wanted was the Pharaoh and all they had was him.

"Aren't you supposed to be an expert?" he scoffed.

"We were close, but we're not the same person! Further, although he can he wise he is far from perfect and is just as capable of making mistakes as anyone else. I never thought I'd be accusing _you_ of all people of blind faith! He doesn't have all of the answers either-he never did! He nearly killed you and lost my soul in his attempts at fixing things. I trust him, but we need to trust in ourselves too. I'm doing the best that I can Seto."

In an icy voice that could have frozen even his own brother he said, "You best clearly isn't good enough if this is the best you can do!" Seto himself was clearly struggling to contain his temper.

That was rich coming from someone like him. What was Kaiba doing about the situation besides criticizing Yugi? What about all of the times that Kaiba's best had still ended in disaster? Anger bubbled to the surface and Yugi took a deep breath to keep the situation from escalating further. "What do you propose that I do then Kaiba?" He had him trapped. "I know you well enough to guess what you tried to do.I know that tried tracking location, even though you tried to hide it from me. We can't hide, but going in public is too dangerous for Mokuba and Aiko without an item. Does that sound about right? What is there left to do?"

"Get out of my house Mutou," he growled.

"Fine, I'll talk to you later. I'll let you know if we make any progress." Yugi walked out as quickly as he could and nearly slammed the door like a petulant child on the way out.

When Yugi got home Tea was sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket and sipping tea as she watched a movie that he didn't recognize on TV. "So you're finally back!" She exclaimed when he plopped onto the couch next to her.

"What are you doing up? I thought you were tired."

"I couldn't sleep, not that it's much of a surprise," she said dismissively. She must have seen the exhaustion written on his face because asked, "I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

"That's one way to put it. I think that he's feeling just as useless as the rest of us. He just projected that onto me. He…accused me of not doing enough. Maybe…" Yugi trailed off and sighed.

She put his hand in hers. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. We're all doing everything we can! Things will work out in the end if you just have faith."

He reacted the way that she expected him too. He smiled a little and agreed. "You're right, thanks Tea." In reality he wondered if they were being honest with themselves.

Neither of them slept for several hours, so they just put on movies to enjoy with each other's silent company. She crashed around one in the morning, but Yugi was yet again unable to sleep. When was the last time that either of them had gotten more than a few hours of sleep? He carried his wife to bed and kissed her goodnight before leaving. He was too tired, but somehow his footsteps carried him to Akari's room. He sat on her bed and examined the walls. Nothing in her room had been disturbed since she was taken. The same holo posters of boy bands and rockstar duelists were still on the walls. There was even a poster of him and Joey standing together after a tournament they had entered the year after they graduated from high school. The room still smelled like her favorite candles too. He had been in this room many times. When she was small he tucked her into bed at night and checked on her to make sure nightmares didn't keep her up, and then when she was older he and Tea sometimes entered to comfort her when she was upset about something. If he just closed his eyes he could almost pretend that she was there with him.

Never in his life had he felt like such a failure. It tore at him, made him feel as if his his heart was trying to claw it's way out of his chest. His little girl was gone. Tears began to roll down his cheeks when let his thoughts stray to her kidnapping. What would Bakura do to her in order to gain information? He thought that Bakura wanted her intact, but who could guess the thoughts of a mad man?

He knew that he wasn't alone, but for the first time in a long time he felt like he was really, truly alone.

After the tears were gone his grief gave way to new determination. He would bring his daughter home. That she had not been found after a week was unacceptable. If Bakura wasn't going to give anything away, he'd search him out himself. He had been waiting for a sign, for some sort of a miracle, as he had been paralyzed by his own indecision. Now he realized that if he was going to get her back he'd have to stop waiting for something to happen and make it happen instead. Sometimes you have to forge your own destiny.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in Domino Deals Motel…_

"So your dearest father has yet to save you. Tell me, how does it feel to finally know his true colors?" Bakura sat in the desk chair like a throne as he looked down at Akari who was sitting cross legged on the floor eating a slice of the greasy pizza that he had picked up. She put her slice back down on the paper plate and glared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He couldn't help but be amused by her. This girl was just too easy to rile up. "You have been gone for nearly a week and your father hasn't even gone looking for you. To be honest, I am a bit surprised, considering all of the nonsense that he's spewed over the years, but that's humans for you. They're nothing but insignificant, hypocritical swine!" He picked up the newspaper that he had stolen and pointed to the picture on the front cover. The headline read: Man slaughters wife and three children after becoming unemployed. "See? How about this?" He pointed to another article: Founder of Charitable Hands Inc. accused of using funds to buy himself a five bedroom home in suburbs. "Don't you see? Your father is no better than these men. He's left you here because despite all of his talk about goodness and friendship he's glad that you're gone."

Akari was trembling with anger. "My father loves me! If he hasn't rescued me yet it isn't because of lack of trying. You keep trying to play with my head, but let me tell you Mr. Bakura that it's not going to work because I know that my family loves me! There are some things that just can't be faked!" She shouted. "They will save me!"

"Yes, well, we'll see." Yugi Mutou was playing right into his hands. Perhaps the great King of Games wasn't so great after all. "It's a good thing I have plenty of these. We may be here awhile longer. It wouldn't do to rush the game would it?" He held up four different stolen credit cards. He had come to love the plastic cards of the twenty first century. They gave him nearly unlimited funds to buy anything he wanted. He had always planned to hold the girl as bait until Yugi found his location so it was good that he had additional funds. He needed her in good condition in case he needed another pawn.

"I don't think so. It'll be any day now!" She shouted.

"Your faith is truly refreshing, but trust me when I say that it will take your father a great deal of time to find our location if he is searching for you at all."

"Bastard." She spat. If he were honest with himself he'd have to admit that he was surprised that the mild mannered Yugi Mutou and Tea Gardner had produced such a spitfire.

"Curse me all you want little girl, the outcome will be the same. We'll just see who predicts whose move first."

Author's Note:

Well...that escalated quickly. That was a fairly emotional chapter wasn't it? I kind of liked it. Yugi and Tea have been struggling to cope in their own ways, and Yugi had to break down eventually. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter despite the short length. Next chapter is going to be interesting, so I hope you'll stick around. Please review if you are able and let me know what you think!

-TheEagerScribbler


	12. Yami

Author's Note: Hi guys. I'm sorry about the the gap between updates! The new semester has started and this chapter needed more work on it than I thought. After this I have one (mostly) pre-written chap left before I run out, so it might take a week or two to get chapters out. Anyway, I am excited to finally have this chapter posted! This is another chapter that doesn't resemble anything that I've written before, and I must say that it was a lot of fun (If you've been reading these notes you might have noticed that I say something along those lines a lot, but that's because it's true).

 _Story Recommendations_ : If you like fics about the Kaiba brothers I highly recommend Iced Blood's stories, especially the Paved with Good Intentions Series and Kick a Hole in the Sky.

Thanks to lailalai, angiembabe, and Yami Mayonaka for taking the time to review! I'd also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this.

-TheEagerScribbler

Higher Stakes Chapter 12: Yami

Joey knocked on Yugi's door at seven thirty in the morning."Hey Yugi, sup my man?" Joey greeted as Yugi let him in.

On a normal Saturday Joey had to be dragged out of bed in order to get him to do anything. What impressed Yugi the most was that he didn't even look like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was brushed and his clothes weren't wrinkled in the least."Not that I'm not happy to see you, but since when are you up before ten on a Saturday?"

"What, can't I guy visit his best friends in the whole wide world on a beautiful Saturday morning?" Why was Joey acting so strangely? Either he wanted something or was anxious about something.

"What is it Joey? You're acting strange...even for you."

"Can I maybe have some food first? I'm starved and didn't have a chance to eat anything before I left my house."

Yugi couldn't help but smile. That was more like the Joey Wheeler he knew. "Sure. You know what we have. There's cereal, bread for toast, frozen waffles, and a ton of muffins and different types of bread."

That perked him up. "You got banana nut bread? Oh, and maybe pumpkin bread, and what's breakfast without a blueberry muffin and maybe a chocolate chip muffin?"

They heard a laugh come from the hallway. "Some things never change." Tea walked into the room and hugged Joey. "Help yourself! There's too much for even you to finish in one sitting."

"That a challenge?"

Tea rolled her eyes and threw nearby dish towel at him. "Grow up."

Joey piled on assorted goodies, including snicker doodle and a brownie, which earned him a disapproving glare from Tea, and Yugi helped himself to a blueberry muffin while Tea got the coffee started. She herself hated starting her mornings without coffee-without her morning caffeine fix couldn't seem to wake up. Lately both Yugi and Tea had been drinking coffee like water because they were constantly exhausted. "So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Yugi finally asked.

"I don't wanna criticize how you're looking for Kari or anything, but I was think'en that I we need to change our strategy a little."

"You thought we'd be offended by that? We all seem to be thinking along the same lines. Kaiba and I got into an argument about it last night, actually."

Tea was clearly not happy that he didn't tell her about it."That was what you fought about? Why didn't you say anything!"

Yugi shrugged in embarrassment at being caught. "I needed to do some thinking first. But anyway, I think that we need to stop waiting for something to happen. Bakura isn't ready yet, otherwise he'd have sought us out himself. We've done all of this talking about striking out first, but what have we actually done? We were warned about waiting too long weren't we? Nobody's perfect. He must have made some mistake that will lead us to him."

"Exactly what I was thinkin!"

Tea still looked uncertain. "Is that such a good idea? We don't even know where to start. Jumping in head first could us or Akari killed!"

"You may have a point Tea, but we need to take some risks if we're going to win," Joey reasoned. Yugi took a bite of muffin and contemplated Joey's words. His reasoning was hardly surprising considering that his early decks all revolved around luck, but he did have point. Sometimes you have guess your opponent's next move and hope that you've made the correct leap.

Tea took a seat on the other side of Yugi. She sagged down with sigh. "I suppose you're right Joey."

"It'll work out fine, you'll see. We just need to have faith!" Yugi was really starting to get sick of hearing that. Have faith. Have faith in the heart of the cards. Have faith that everything is going to work out magically okay. Have faith that Yugi will be able to defeat Bakura even though he had no idea what he was doing! He was afraid to vocalize his thoughts because admitting it made it seem almost more real. Besides, he needed to be strong for his wife. Although she was doing a little better he knew that she was hanging on by a thread. He hadn't acted yet because he remembered the Pharaoh's command to wait for the six to gather. A nearly blasphemous thought came to Yugi's mind, a thought that disturbed him even though he knew better. No one was perfect after all, not even his other self. Yugi was forced to wonder...what if the Pharaoh was wrong? He had faith in him. There was that word again, _faith_ , but even great kingdoms have fallen because of faith placed in the wrong people.

"Sure." Was all Yugi was able to bring himself to say. "Let's finish our food and then we'll call Seto. I don't think he's ever slept past 6:30 in his entire life so I'm sure he's awake and by a phone."

"Does the man ever relax?" Joey asked. "Sometimes I wonder if the man's even human. It's like that brain of his never stop running!" Joey took another bite of his muffin. "Mph wot I men?" He said with a mouth full of food as he waved with muffin in the air.

Yugi made a face."That's just gross Joey. Toma knows better than to talk with his mouth full, and he's just a little kid. What's your excuse?"

"You're no fun, you know that Yugi? Besides, you know what I said, right?"

Tea rolled her eyes. "That's only because we've had to endure years of your terrible table manners."

"Yeah, whatever." Just to make a point he shoved an entire muffin into his mouth.

"Joey!" Tea and Yugi shouted at the same time.

"What? We need to finish soon if we're ever gonna get an appointment with rich boy!"

By some miracle they did manage to get an appointment with Seto. "Haven't you ever heard of email?" Seto said by way of greeting.

"You're constantly flooded with emails. You probably wouldn't even get to it for another two days." Yugi protested.

"Exactly. That's because unlike you I am busy. I'm assuming you're here for a reason?"

"I'm sure you can guess what it's about." Tea said. "We're sorry keep bothering you at work, but that seems to be the only way to get a hold of you these days."

He nodded in understanding. "Fair enough, but did you have to bring your pet?" He gestured towards Joey. "I didn't think that I needed to explicitly state that no dogs are allowed in this establishment."

"I'm here because for the same reason as them Kaiba."

"Fine. Come on then. I'm only seeing you because I have another before I have to meet with Pegasus." He turned to lead them to his office. As always it was impeccably organized with papers placed in neat piles, and three chairs were placed in front of his desk. The only thing off about any of it was that if you looked carefully the piles were bigger and not quite as nicely stacked as usual.

He made a motion for them to sit. "Now, what is it?"

Yugi took a deep breath to clear his nerves. He needed to swallow his pride. "After our conversation last night I did some thinking and realized that you had a point. We need to stop waiting. We know that you tried tracking credit cards, but we were wondering if you knew of any other ways to track them. The only way we're going to get Akari back is if we find her before decides to come to us. If we catch him unaware maybe we'll have a chance."

"You're saying that you're wrong?" he eyed Yugi expectantly. Yugi knew that Seto would try to embarrass him further before agreeing to help. Despite the fact that they were friends, from Seto's perspective their friendship still had a competitive edge to it. Tea and Joey both opened their mouths to argue, but Yugi signaled for them not to.

Yugi sighed. "Yes, I'm saying that you were right."

"After our conversation I did some thinking too and decided to take the initiative of going through security feeds around the city."

How did he even get permission to do all of that...unless he didn't. Kaiba wouldn't actually do anything illegal did he? Of course he had a reputation, but Seto made a point of doing everything by the book as an adult because he didn't want it to come back to haunt them later. Their collective shock was not lost on Seto, who rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that! It's all legal. Money talks, and I have plenty of that. Now, if you're all done making assumptions about me we need to get back to the task at hand. As I was saying, I went through various feeds and found that Bakura frequents a grocery store on Spring Field Avenue, as well as several other shops in that location. Unless he's trying to throw us off I'd guess that he's hiding near there. And since he'd need shelter and there are no abandoned buildings near by that lead me to look at hotels nearby. There's only one hotel near there that Bakura could've chosen without drawing attention to himself."

"You were hold'en out on us!" Joey protested. Tea didn't look to happy about it either.

"I was going to tell everyone tonight."

"That doesn't matter Joey!" Tea scolded. "What matters is that we find Akari." She turned to Seto with desperate hope gleaming in her eyes. "Tell us Seto, what's the name of the hotel you think that they're at?"

"Domino Deals Motel." Yugi himself couldn't help but grimace. Domino Deals had been a shady place even when he was a kid. It was known for drug deals and prostitutes, and their moldy walls. It was the perfect place for someone looking to stay under the radar.

Yugi, Joey, and Tea all stood up, and Kaiba stood up as well, crossing his arms in annoyance. He scowled at their stupidity. "Even _Wheeler_ can't possibly be dumb enough to think that he'll let you just waltz in there and get Akari. You need a plan."

For once Joey didn't react to the insult. Instead he put a hand on Yugi's shoulder in a gesture of support. "I'm gonna have to agree with Kaiba on this one. I don't like say'in it, but he's right. We need a plan. He may just be one person but he's too strong for us to go up against on our own. We're gonna need back up on this one."

"Not if we're just going to rescue her!" Yugi argued.

 _Think this through._ The whispered words of the Pharaoh gently chastised Yugi. He felt like a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Fine." He muttered. "Let's meet tonight then, like we usually do."

"I've got a video conference with a company in India, and then I have another video conference with someone from Italy immediately after. I can't do it tomorrow either, so you're going to have to wait."

"Listen to me Seto, we're going with or without your help. If you find some reason to bail on us tomorrow like you did tonight we're going anyway. Is that absolutely clear? Yugi is too nice to say it, but I will. We can't take another day of this! Our daughter is currently a hostage to a man that's let evil consume his soul. She's bait now, but what happens if he decides to change his plans? Are you with us or not?" Tea threatened.

"If you don't want my help, feel free to meet tonight. We'll see how far you get with everybody staring at eachother like morons saying, "I dunno. What about you?" Somebody has to be the grown up if you dorks are our only hope of rescuing my niece." It was like he was trying to antagonize them. When Yugi looked down he realized that he had unconsciously balled his hands up into fists. He took a deep breath and slowly unclenched them and reminded himself that sarcasm was just Seto's way. Yugi still wanted to protest, to say that one more day was too much, but what good would it be? Yugi knew without doubt that all of the item holders needed to be together and that Seto's brilliant mind could prove invaluable in decoding Bakura's plans. "However," Yugi perked up when Seto sounded as if he was prepared to actually compromise. This coming from Mr. Teamwork-promotes-incompetence

"Meet me at my place-it's more secure. I don't want another break in while we're unprepared. This is a game that we've proven that we can win. We just need the right strategy."

So they had the makings of a plan...why did it all sound so inadequate?

* * *

They dropped Joey off at his home and headed straight home afterwards. Yugi and Tea's car broke down about halfway home from Joey's place. Neither of them was able to fix it, so they were forced to call someone. Mai was the only one who answered. She said that she would take maybe half an hour to get there, but she'd get there as fast as she could.

In the meantime there was nothing to do but wait. Being out in the open left them both feeling vulnerable, so they ducked into a gas station. They figured that they might as well look for snacks while they waited. "What about these?" Tea held up bag of barbeque flavored potato chips. "I haven't had these in forever!"

Yugi shrugged. "You can have them if you want, but I won't be eating that."

"Why not? Aren't men supposed to like all things barbecue?"

"First of all, that's not real barbecue. Second, I want these instead." He held up a bag of sour cream and onion flavored chips. "They're way better and they won't dye my fingers."

She made a face and eyed him skeptically. "There's no way you can seriously like this stuff. I don't think I've seen you eat those since you were what, 18? I had hoped that you'd grow out of that stuff. I mean, whose idea was it to combine sour cream and onions? What a disgusting combination!" Their good natured teasing was halted when walked in with a gun.

"Alright, give us all of your money before someone get's hurt!" The man pointed his gun at the terrified man behind the counter. "Do it!"

The man enthusiastically nodded and started fumbling for the key to the cash register. "Ok ok ok...come on come on…" he tried to get the drawer to unlock.

"You should know that we're impatient. In the meantime, bring your valuables up front before I shoot you too! You," he pointed to Yugi, "Bring that necklace to me. It looks like it's worth a hell of a lot more than a buck or two."

Tea clung to Yugi. "What do we do?"

"I won't let him take the puzzle." Even as he spoke Yugi was concocting a plan straight out of Yami's book. He ran his hands over the puzzle out of habit as if he was trying to channel him. Yugi remembered a similar situation at burger world when he was kid. Yami handled it by asking the man to play a game, and when the man cheated and he was forced to endure a penalty game. Yugi tried to stand up tall and confidently and walked over to the man with his hands up. "I'll give you my puzzle...if you win a game."

The man started to laugh. "What's your problem man-I threaten to kill you so you ask me to play with you? How old are you, ten?"

It was a gamble, but maybe it would sound ridiculous enough for him to humor him. "What do you have to lose? You're the one with the gun." He hoped that he would buy it.

"What the hell. I'll give it a shot." He laughed at his own terrible joke. "What do you have in mind?"

"I propose a contest. We'll compete to see who can grab the most items in three minutes. The catch is that you must have one hand behind your back at all times, and you cannot touch your opponent's pile. Any attempts at breaking these rules will disqualify you and you will forfeit the match."

"That'll be too easy. I've got at least five inches on you. You're on."

Before they began he tried to channel the powers of the puzzle. If millennium items were designed to evaluate the evil within a person's heart, he could force him to lose and then...Yugi shook his head. He had been against the penalty games in the past. What gave him the right to play God? But this man had a gun and could very easily shoot someone. If that gun were pointed at Tea, and if Yugi himself had a weapon, wouldn't he use it in self defense? During Bakura's penalty game he had told himself that he would never condone penalty games, but what if he was wrong? It was too late now. When Yugi suggested the game he had every intention of following through with his plan. If the man didn't cheat he wouldn't do anything. However, he knew that the man would cheat. The puzzle gave him a sense of what was in the man's heart, and it was riddled with shadows. If simply let him walk away the man could still shoot someone, or go somewhere else and rob the store. If he invoked a penalty game he could save many more people... It wasn't like he had a choice anyway. They were all waiting for the game to begin. If they didn't start soon he could get angry, and such a mistake could cost someone their life.

"Okay, does anyone have a timer on their phone?" Tea nodded.

"Great, start the clock. Three minutes starts...now!" Yugi instantly went for the small items near by. He grabbed slim jims and beef jerky first and began his pile. He could easily hold a few of those at once, so they were by far the thief went for the very first items he saw, all of which happened to be bags of chips. Those would be trickier because they were bigger. Yugi then turned to small candies. Yugi started with the different types of gum and worked his way down the rows. The man looked at Yugi's pile with surprise, which only made the him work more franticly. Yugi moved on now to other types of snacks. He grabbed peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, etc, and threw them in the pile too. As his hands worked he snuck a glance at his opponent. He kept eyeing Yugi's pile of assorted goodies. Yugi kept working, but found himself sneaking glances. Yugi had the painful realization that the robber was going to cheat.

"One minute left!" Tea called.

"Shut up! We didn't ask you did we?" Yugi didn't like the way that his hand seemed to mindlessly reach for the gun.

Yugi kept track of the time. He raced to grab as much as he could, and so did he. When he realized that he wasn't winning he grabbed a handful of Yugi's items from the pile. Yugi caught him in the act. "Put those items down, that's cheating!"

"So what if I did? I'm the one with the gun." The man twirled his gun around. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Yugi knew what he had to do, he just didn't know how to do it. He'd never actually initiated a penalty game or a shadow game before. He closed his eyes and he could feel the eye of Horus burning on his forehead as the power coursed through him. All of a sudden Yugi was struck by the desire for revenge. He finally had the power to defend them-why shouldn't he make him suffer the way that his victims had? "I declare a penalty game!" Yugi was struck by the sudden realization that those desires weren't his. Once Yugi realized that he had not thought that until he activated the puzzle he nearly stopped in his tracks. He didn't really want that. There had to be a way to protect himself and others without inflicting harm on him. _If you have any ideas Pharaoh now would be a really good time to share them_ , Yugi thought. Unfortunately there would be no divine intervention for him. Yugi really began to panic until he was suddenly inspired by an old Greek Myth about a man who would always be hungry but never able to reach food or water. Maybe something similar would do the trick. Maybe there was a way out. Maybe he didn't have to actually hurt him..."You are a thief, so I will give you the punishment of Tantalus! Any item that you try to touch that doesn't belong to you or is intended to cause someone harm will always be beyond your reach!"

The man looked about ready to pee himself. "H-Hey, what's going on?"

"You will no longer be able harm anyone."

"You really think that you could ever make me do anything? You must be delusional! Let me show you!"

"Go right on ahead." Yugi shrugged. "Maybe I am delusional." He knew that he wasn't.

He reached for a pack of M&Ms but was unable to grab it. When the man reached for it and picked it up, but just kept staring at his hands. He moved forward and began to grasp at air. "W-why can't I reach it?" He reached for his gun. "I'll show him!" But when he picked it up he just kept reaching for it, not realizing that he was already holding it. "My gun? Why can't I reach any of this?"

"Consider this your chance to rehabilitate." Yugi walked right up to him and took the gun away, and then handed it to the the guy behind the counter. "Get rid of it."

"You're crazy man! Woah, how'd you manage that? You some sort of hypnotist or somethin'?"

Yugi gave a sort of forced, nervous smile. "Uh, something like that."

"Whatever dude. I thought we were toast! You must've saved our lives Mr. Mutou!"

Yugi raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you know my name?"

"I think every in Domino knows _your_ name. How's the Mrs. doing over there?" During the course of their short conversation Tea had walked up to the counter to join Yugi.

"I'm fine. I'm just glad we're all okay. You were brilliant Yugi!"

"I'd say!" Mai was standing in the entrance way. "Come on Yugi and Tea, I think it's time we let the poor man clean up his store!"

Tea waved. "Bye!"

"You two should come back again sometime. I owe you both slurpees and a candy bar at least."

"You don't have to, really!" Yugi insisted. "I was just glad to help!"

They got into the car. "Thanks for picking us up Mai!" Tea said.

"No problem. That's what friends do, right? You know, what I saw back there was pretty impressive." Mai said.

Tea, who was sitting next Yugi, nodded in agreement. "I agree. It was like I was staring at the Pharaoh!"

Yugi fidgeted uncomfortably. "I uh, didn't really want to do all of that. I felt like I didn't have a choice. I just wasn't thinking clearly..."

"Well I think that you handled that perfectly! At first I was afraid that you'd do something that you'd regret, but you didn't." He could tell that she was remembering the pharoah's penalty games. "You only did what you had to do to keep him from hurting somebody. It wasn't like the other ones!"

Mai looked at him calculatingly. "Others? So this Pharaoh wasn't such a saint after all…"

Yugi didn't know what to say to that. _You did well, Yugi._

They didn't speak for the rest of the ride home. Both Yugi and Tea were too lost in their own thoughts to utter another word, and Mai didn't push them. She didn't exactly get the context of what they were talking about, but she did know that whatever had happened was a big deal for both of them.

When they got home Tea immediately declared that she was exhausted and needed to take a nap, leaving Yugi to his own thoughts. Now that he was alone he allowed think about the ramifications of what he had done. He had punished the man instead of turning him to the authorities. What gave him the right to make that sort of decision? He remembered what Ushio had said about his family thinking that he was insane. What would his punishment put that man through? The guilt that gnawed away at Yugi wouldn't go away just because he wanted it to. His hands trembled and as he cradled his puzzle. "What have I done?"

Suddenly Yugi found his vision becoming blurry and he was unable to keep his eyes open. What was happening to him?

He looked up to see the Pharaoh. "I am sorry about that Yugi. I had a feeling that we'd need to have a long conversation, and you needed to be asleep for that, so…"

"You knocked me out?"

"Actually Mahad 'knocked you out', as you say, but yes."

Yugi couldn't believe that he'd just yank him out of consciousness without so much as a warning! He had better have something important to say because Yugi really wasn't feeling up to having company right now. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Yugi snapped.

The Pharaoh motioned for Yugi to sit down on what he realized was the rooftop of his old high school. It was an exact replica of the view if the city he had seen as a teenager. "You're beating yourself up over defending yourself from that criminal." The Pharaoh stated simply.

"What gives me the right to do that?"

His old friend knitted his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"What gives me the right to pass judgment on someone?"

"There was darkness in his heart Yugi-the puzzle sensed it, did it not? Once such darkness takes root in a person's soul it corrupts them. The crime only would have escalated further had you not interfered."

The Pharaoh seemed so sure of the rightness of Yugi's actions. It frightened Yugi that the Pharaoh was not the least bit alarmed by his actions. Had the events of his time as a spirit taught him nothing?

As always the Pharaoh read him like a book. Sometimes it was annoying having a friend who spent so much time in head that he always knew what Yugi was thinking. "Don't you see Yugi? You are not like me, not even when you feel threatened or are enraged. I will admit that some of my penalty games were cruel, but yours...Yugi, you very well might have saved his life. You've given him the chance to reflect on his actions and change. I can think of many other ways a game like that could have ended, and none of them even come close to showing the same level of humanity towards him!"

"You're missing the point!" Yugi had startled himself by yelling. He hadn't realized how much frustration he had pent up.

The Pharaoh looked taken aback. "Okay then, what exactly is your point?"

"My point is that I can't just go around passing judgment on everyone who commits a crime. If everyone goes around punishing everyone else then what's the point of lawyers and the court system?"

"You did not punish an innocent man Yugi. That man had committed an offense against you and it was your right to seek justice."

If the Pharaoh had ever shown this side of himself before he went to the afterlife Yugi had forgotten. Before he would not have agreed. "I can think of time when you knew better than that." Yugi found himself truly trying to see his old friend through the tanned skin and Egyptian clothing.

"Yugi, you knew that I was not complete without my memories-our memories make us who we are. I have had to reconcile the memories of my ancient past with my modern one," he gently reminded Yugi. " I think that you will find many things that have changed over time." For the second time Yugi felt as though he had lost his other self. The feeling only lasted for a moment though, because Yugi had realized that he had changed too. Even if the pharaoh had stayed the same Yugi could never truly be called the Pharaoh's other half, although they still thought of each other that way.

"An eye for an eye." Yugi murmured.

"Yes, is that not the goal of justice?"

"That's not for me to decide," Yugi said. "I should have called the police and let them deal with it."

Yugi could tell that the Pharaoh was eyeing him with concern. The work that he and the Pharaoh had sometimes been compelled to do forced him to take charge and potentially hurt those who stood against them. Some days the Pharaoh see the doubt and guilt eating away at Yugi for what he was forced to do and would try to comfort him, but there were times when no words could soothe his frazzled nerves and banish the uncomfortable sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Atem spared Yugi what he could, but whatever happened still happened in Yugi's body. Yugi had grown enough to do what was necessary, but he would always have a gentle nature that abhorred conflict. "I was just worried about you because I knew that you would struggle with your decision to invoke a penalty game. Such an action shouldn't be taken lightly, but you only did it out of necessity, and you did it in a way that can only help him. I'm sure that it will take some time for you to see this but…" He put a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Trust in yourself Yugi. You'll find that your instincts are right more often than not. I believe in you, and I trust you to do what is right even when it isn't easy. "

Now that Yugi finally allowed himself to listen to the Pharaoh his reassurances calmed Yugi the same way that they had when he was a teenager. The tension left his body and he was finally able to think straight. "Maybe you're right. I just sometimes wish that there was another way. We saved Marik didn't we?"

he paused to consider Yugi's point. "We were only able to do so by separating the darkness from the light in his heart. It is no easy task, and success is rare. He is the only one that can conquer his own darkness. Perhaps something may happen to aid the process, but he must come to his own conclusions just like Kaiba, Marik, and me."

"You?" Yugi blinked in surprise. He had known that there was some darkness in the Pharaoh, but he wouldn't say that he had been corrupted.

"Why do you think that I was once called 'Yami'?"

"You weren't a criminal." Yugi tried to defend him.

"No, but I did not understand that how you obtain something is just as important as the thing that you are attempting to acquire. I could not even begin to understand that true strength lies in friendship and compassion. I was alone in the puzzle's chambers for so long that my thinking had become warped by the shadows."

Yugi didn't know what to say to that. "Maybe now he'll finally change."

The pharaoh allowed a ghost of a smile to show on his face, but no more, because he knew that it would only upset Yugi further. He was proud of how Yugi reacted to the whole situation. "The punishment of Tantalus...clever. It seems like a fitting choice that will allow him to examine his heart."

"I thought that you slept through school?"

The Pharaoh smiled. "History was one of the ones that I enjoyed."

Yugi scoffed in mock annoyance. "You could've taken over anytime you wanted, you know. I always hated that class. The teacher somehow managed to take an interesting subject and make it boring."

The Pharaoh laughed."I took your grandfather at his word when he said that school was a character building experience. Besides, you never know what knowledge will become useful sometime in the future."

"I guess you're right about that. I'm now sure what I would've done for his penalty game otherwise."

"I'm sure you would have come up with something."

"Maybe," Yugi shrugged, "but you never know. Mostly I was..." Yugi nearly lost the courage to say it.

The Pharaoh's face became gentle. "You were what?"

"I…" he hesitated. Only after taking a deep breath and reminding himself that there was no use lying to the man who stood before him. He could see through all pretenses because, despite how they had both changed, he still knew Yugi better than anyone else. "Mostly I was just afraid that invoking penalty game would cause the darkness in my own heart to grow."

"If that were the case it would've happened years ago." The Pharaoh reminded him. "You're too good Yugi."

"No I'm not!" Yugi faced away from the Pharaoh and looked out into the distance. This particular view of the city brought old memories out to the forefront of his mind. If he closed his eyes he could see himself and his friends as they were nearly twenty years ago. Although Domino had brought them many good memories it still held some bad ones. Joey and Marik had nearly killed him and Mai and the Pharaoh had been under the influence of the Orichalcos. If people as strong and good as Mai and the Pharaoh could not resist, how Yugi could expect himself to be able to do that?

"What are you thinking Yugi? I can't read your mind anymore Yugi, you have to tell me what you're thinking!" He begged. Somehow it just seemed wrong for someone as regal as Atem to beg. A pang of guilt went through Yugi.

If he told the Pharaoh what he was thinking he knew that it would hurt him. He had never forgiven himself for what he had done, and the last thing he needed was for Yugi to remind him. "I'm not strong enough, alright?" That wasn't technically lying right? A lie of omission wasn't really a complete lie, no matter what he told his daughter. "The truth was...I liked the way that it felt. For once I felt powerful. It scared me. How do I know that I can resist it again?"

"You've already done it once _while_ being unprepared. Now that are equipped with the knowledge of what it is like you could do it again with no problem if you were called upon to do it again. I have faith in you Yugi, try having a little faith in yourself too."

"I will...but Pharaoh…" _Maybe faith just isn't enough anymore_ , he thought.

"Yes?"

Yugi decided against voicing his thoughts. He was only going to get a repeat of the lecture that he had just been given. "I'm sorry that I made you worry. I promise I'm fine. And more one more thing…"

"Yes?"

"You're not going to push me off the building this time are you?"

The Pharaoh's eyebrows shot up. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, like that time you pushed me off of that blimp."

The Pharaoh chuckled. "I have better idea of how these dreams work now, so no, you have my word that I'm not going to push you off of the building. All you have to do is imagine a doorway. Of course, if you feel like an adrenaline rush jumping off the roof would probably do the trick."

A glowing doorway appeared where the entrance to the roof had been previously. Yugi didn't know how to say goodbye. The one good thing about being forced out of dreams is that they were never forced to endure awkward goodbyes. They reminded Yugi far too much of their final duel, so when Yugi opened his mouth nothing came out. Instead he opted for a wave before stepping through the door that would lead him back to the real world that awaited him.

Author's Note: This chapter is about twice as long as the last chapter. Hopefully that makes up for the wait. I haven't had a chance to thoroughly edit, but since it's been so long since I've posted I'll go ahead and put it up and go back and edit later. The real world caught up with me, but I swear that I haven't forgotten about you all!

Chapter twelve was way more intense than I intended for it to be. Unfortunately, it was necessary for Yugi. I think that most people would have trouble handling the pressure that he's under. Please review and tell me what you think! This chapter was sort of experimental for me. I don't think I've ever written anything so intense before.

-TheEagerScribbler


	13. The Plan

Author's note: for this chapter I struggled with perspective. One version of this chapter was from Mokuba's pov, but I decided to keep it like this for the sake of consistency. Also, I wasn't sure where to put card releases on a timeline because they're different in the show vs. real life and I haven't followed the game closely since about 2007 (even then I didn't play much). I tried to be as accurate as possible, but if I made some mistakes I hope that they don't bother anyone too much. If it does bother you, have no fear, this story will not at any point revolve around dueling. I only write about the game at all because Yugi runs a game shop.

Thanks so much for your support so far. I can't believe that I already have over 20 reviews! Each review makes my day!

Thanks to lalalei, angiembabe, and YamiMayonaka for your reviews. I'd also like to thank all of you for reading my story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 13 Higher Stakes: The Plan

When Tea stumbled into the kitchen at five o'clock in the morning Yugi was already up. He was sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee as he stared at the cards laid out in front of him. "Sometimes I wish that I still had my original deck."

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember when I gave them to that Museum a few years ago as a favor to Pegasus?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I remember. You have them just about everything with the exception of the Dark Magician and Dark Magician girl, right? You told them that they would have to hunt down their own copies."

"That's right. The game is constantly evolving. My old strategies haven't worked for sometime, so I thought that it was best, but now I miss them. Each card has it's own story to tell and so many memories are attached to them. The deck of a true duelist is an extension of themselves. I find myself wishing that I could hold them again."

Tea just stared at him for a moment. "Don't mind me Tea, sleep deprivation makes me overly sentimental."

She slumped into a chair, still half asleep and smiled sleepily. "I know what you mean. Everything's coming back to me too. Don't you remember how it felt when we were kids? I mean, yeah it was scary, but it was all so exciting! We went on adventures together that made us become closer. We had to stand up for what we believed in-we had to fight in order to protect our unsuspecting neighbors and help our friend get his memories back. It seemed like nothing was impossible anymore."

"Who'd have guessed that the scrawny kid who got picked on would would do all of those things?" Yugi smiled.

Tea reached out and grabbed his hand. "You were never just a scrawny kid. You were pretty amazing even then."

"You're just saying that because I'm your husband."

She smiled. "I only speak the truth."

"Now what do we do?" He asked.

"You've been asking that a lot lately," she pointed out.

Yugi didn't know what to say to that. He had been trying desperately to keep it together, but he should've known that Tea of all people would be able to see right through him. "That's because I really don't know what to do about our situation. But," he cut her off before she could start, "That wasn't what I was referring to. I was asking about what we should do now because it's obscenely early and no one but Seto and Mokuba will be awake for about two hours."

"Oh, uh…"

"See what I mean? Nothing good comes on at five in the morning and neither of us are alert enough to play a game."

"You have a point." She rubbed the black of her neck. "I'm honestly not sure how we both managed to have such a co...what's the word…"

Yugi chuckled. "I think the word you're looking for is coherent."

"Yeah, that's it…I'm not sure how we managed to have such a coherent discussion so early."

"Practice. Lots of practice." He could tell from the far off look in her eyes that she was thinking about the reason why they had practice too. As expected, when she was a baby it took her a while to sleep through the night. When she hit fifteen she began to have nightmares about a monster eating her. They had gotten so bad that they had taken her to a psychologist, but nothing worked. She would wake up screaming in the middle of the night and Yugi and Tea would come dashing into her room to comfort her until she was was calm enough to go back to sleep. It had never occurred to Yugi before, but what if her dreams were warnings about what was going to come?

"Yeah," Tea sighed.

"Hmm…"they stood contemplating what to do next.

"Ok, that's it. We are going to make French-toast!" Tea exclaimed

"Huh?"

"French toast makes everything better. We'll have them with tea and then watch something light and funny because there's nothing else to do. We can't exactly make plans without the rest of the gang can we? That means that we have to wait for tonight. The shop doesn't open until 9:00a and your lessons don't start until 8:30.

That gives us plenty of time kill." Yugi really wanted to eat a normal breakfast for once, but she just looked so excited..."Sure! Just try not to get it all over you this time."

She stuck out her tongue. "For that remark you get to do all of the dishes."

"Whatever you say dear."

After the movie ended they got dressed and began preparing for the day. It felt odd somehow to spend time getting ready for a normal day when tomorrow could change everything.

Yugi had just finished brushing his teeth and Tea pulled out her mascara wand when Yugi caught a glance at the clock. "Um...Tea...it's 8:15. You're going to be late if you don't leave soon."

"I don't know if I can. The only reason that I'm going at all is that they couldn't find anyone to cover for me. Somehow going feels like betrayal, you know? Even my students know that something's up."

"I feel the same way. We usually don't get many customers before four or five,so at least I'll have to time to think."

That day business was particularly slow, so Yugi found himself staring at a notebook. He wanted to have something to contribute to their meeting that evening. He first wrote down what he knew. First, he knew that Bakura tried to take over the world with Zork. How had he tried to accomplish this the first time? Yugi could not longer remember the details. He knew that it had something to do with a pact and the darkness in his own heart, and that he was bent on revenge.

Second, Bakura attacked the Pharaoh and his court in order to pick them off one by one and obtain their items. Yugi knew that he was going to try that again. He felt that was an obvious assumption, but he still wanted to write it down anyway.

Third, He had gone through to much trouble to track down Ushio, so that had to have something to do with his plan. He was going to test the others now that he had abandoned his old strategy. He may have been bolder than ever, but the shadow realm had done nothing to dull his cleverness.

Fourth: He was going to try to manipulate them. Instead of just outwardly attacking Yugi he played off of Yugi's fear and tried to make him doubt himself.

Bakura was patient, intelligent, and a master strategist. He could handle them separately, but together they were a lethal combination.

Yugi looked at his list with disappointment. None of it was new.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Yugi looked up to see a small girl who was barely taller than the counter standing nervously. He put down the list and tried to smile at her. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

The girl pointed at silver booster pack. "Can I have this? My big brother's turning nine and I wanna get him duel monster cards 'cuz they're his favorite."

The girl set her money down on the counter and looked at him expectantly. "Sure. How many do you want?"

"I dunno. How many can I get with this?"

He counted her money for her because she was young enough that he wasn't sure she knew how to and saw that she was just a dollar short of a new booster pack. He remembered when his little girl had done exactly the same thing when she was little, so just smiled and handed her two packs. It was worth it to see a smile on her face."I'll tell you what, I'm running a special sale right now, so you get one for free."

"Really? Thanks Mister!"

"Go on now, you should probably get them wrapped or something before he sees!"

"I will! Bye!"

"Bye."

Throughout the day he had only three other customers. One was an old man and the next was mother who came in with her little boy-they came in bought a couple of packs, and then left. The last was a frantic father trying to figure out what his daughter was talking about when she said he wanted a tuner for her deck. Yugi suddenly realized how often people had been walking to his shop in a panic.

The man walked up to the counter and started babbling. "This should've been easy. She's told me what she wants but...what do I do? I haven't played since...hm...the first Battle City. I think I was probably one of the first people eliminated. It's a cool game, but things got way too serious around here after the first few years it was introduced. It went from a casual game to lifestyle, you know? No offense, Mr. Mutou, I think what you've done is amazing! I mean, you beat the creator at his own game, but it's not what I was looking for. I started looking into it for my daughter and I don't understand half of it anymore! And her birthday's tomorrow and she wants a tuner...what the hell is a tuner anyway? You must think I've been living under a rock or something."

In the past twenty years the game had changed at a breakneck pace. He felt sorry for the poor man because he looked frazzled. He must have put off birthday shopping a little too close for comfort. Yugi had made the mistake of doing that once, and he had no plans to do that again anytime soon. "You're not the first person to ask that. Everyone has different interests, and those interests can change over time. I used to like spoof movies, now I don't. That doesn't mean I have anything against people who do like them. Now, about that tuner…what kind of deck is she running?"

"Um…" the man turned bright red and admitted, "I don't know. She hasn't finished it yet, and she won't even tell me what it is until she has it just right. All she'll do is occasionally ask for a card."

"What cards has she asked for so far?"

"She's asked me for a Magician's Valkyria, other than that...I can't remember."

Magician's Valkyria effect was that no other spellcasters can be targeted. That meant she was probably running a Spellcasters Synchro deck. Spell casters had fallen in and out of popularity more times than he could count during the time that he had been playing duel monsters. They had come back into popularity relatively recently thanks to a new set of booster packs that had been released. "I respect her wishes when it comes to not telling you what type of deck she wants to run, so I won't tell you, but I think I know what it is. My suggestion would be Effect Veiler. I'm not sure if it's exactly what she needs, but it's a good card to have in a spellcaster deck." Without knowing what she already had he could only guess at what would work best for her deck. The card that he had suggested had a useful effect, so hopefully it would be suitable no matter what she decided. It was a spellcaster that kept monsters from activating effects during the current phase.

"Thanks. You're a life saver. I guess I need to brush back up on my duel monsters if I'm going to keep up with her."

"That might be a good idea. The rules change constantly, so here," Yugi grabbed a rule book from a pile on the corner of the counter and presented it to him. "Take this and read through it. Let me know if you want me to set you up with starter deck or a structure deck."

"I'll do that. Have a good afternoon! I need to hurry back home to wrap this before she notices.

"Okay, good luck."

Yugi checked the time on his watch-5:45pm. It was early enough to close up the shop. He flipped the sign to closed and walked up the stairs to his home with anticipation building in his stomach. Fifteen more minutes until they came.

Somebody knocked on the door at 5:50. Yugi ran to the door-Tea must have accidentally left her key at home. He was surprised to find Ishizu and Marik. He thought that they were all going to convene at Seto's house. "I've already found that arriving early is far preferable to being late."

"Sorry about showing up so early, but I couldn't convince her to leave any later. Ishizu really wanted to get here twenty minutes ago-I was lucky that I was able to talk her down to this. My sister's too stubborn for her own good."

"I understand, Tea's the same way. She likes to be everywhere at least twenty minutes early! Please come in. Would you like a snack before dinner?"

"Do you have any of those muffins left?" Marik asked.

"Yep. What about you Ishizu, do you want anything?"

"No thank you Yugi." They both took a seat on the couch.

Yugi gave him one of the remaining blueberry muffins and then sat next to them. "How's Odion doing? It must be hard for him to be alone right now."

"Thank you Yugi, Odion's fine. He says that everything is normal so far. The Pharaoh's tomb is undisturbed and our artifacts are safe for now. We wanted him to come, but he reminded us of our family's duty. Someone needs to be there to protect the tomb, and he thought that we should be the ones to come because we're former item users."

Marik smiled affectionately at the mention of his older brother. "My brother's the only person as stubborn as her."

"What about Apis? I had thought that he'd be here by now."

"My husband wanted to stay in Egypt in case the Thief King comes back." Ishizu explained.

Marik nodded. "I almost went home when Kaiba got the rod, but I admit that I have a certain level of expertise that nobody else has, not even you."

"Speaking of Seto, when were we supposed to meet him?" Yugi asked.

"We have another twenty minutes before we are supposed to leave. We came because I saw what you were planning to do." What had she seen?

"I had a vision of you going after your daughter alone. You would confront Bakura, but his power would be too great and you would be lost to the shadow realm forever! If we work together we can stand our ground. I did not see the outcome of this conflict, but it looked like we were a far more equal match." Ishizu reached over and grabbed Yugi's hand. "Yugi, I can only imagine what you are feeling-If my daughter Bennu were the one kidnapped I'm sure that I would behave irrationally too, but you must not act without carefully considering the consequences." She admonished. Yugi felt a little ashamed of himself for considering it. Although his fight was a very personal one, more than just the fate of his family hung in the balance.

"You're right. I thought about it, but I didn't actually intend to go through with it. I know it wouldn't work."

"So how'd you get Kaiba to take off of work early anyway?"

Yugi had wondered that himself. He had expected that they'd be meeting at nine o'clock at night since Seto was the one who was hosting. "He's just as worried about Akari as us. It really didn't take much convincing. It's just that things are a little trickier for him because he's such a visible public figure."

"Perhaps we should go. If we spend too much time talking we'll get stuck in traffic, causing Mr. Kaiba to be angry at us. He will be far easier to deal with if we arrive earlier." This was one of those moments where Yugi wasn't sure if she used her necklace or if she just knew Seto Kaiba.

"Sure, Tea said she'd meet us there."

Yugi had forgotten that there was some sort of concert in town that day, so the traffic was ridiculous. It should have taken just ten minutes to get there, but their quick ten minute journey was doubled thanks to traffic that moved at a snail's pace. Thanks to Ishizu's warning they still managed to arrive just in time.

"You made it." Kaiba greeted them at the door. "If you had been ten minutes later they'd have insisted on sending out a search party."

"How is the shop Yugi?" Tea asked with worry. "Did he try anything? I know that you think that he needs time to regroup but there's no way to know for sure what his plans are."

"The shop was pretty slow today-Without Bakura and only a handful of customers things got pretty dull today."

"Man, I never thought I'd say this," Tristan said, "But boring sounds really good right now."

"Tell me about it." Mokuba rolled his eyes. "I'd give just about anything to be bored right now." He unconsciously ran his fingers over an ankh.

Yugi's eyes widened. "We were right."

"Yep, you're right. By the way, does that girl have the scales yet? I'm not sure why, but I feel like it's really important that she gets it soon."

"I've had the same feeling. I don't know if she has it yet, or not. Let's hope that Bakura doesn't find it before she does."

Suddenly Seto narrowed his eyes in irritation.

"What is it Seto?"

" _He_ says that she is nearby."

His cell phone buzzed. He quickly checked the number-security. "Roland?"

"Mr. Kaiba, there's a girl here who claims that she needs to see you sir. At first I thought she was in your fan club, but she won't leave. What would you like me to do?"

"What did she say her name was?"

"She said her name was Aiko."

"Was that a question or a statement?"

"A statement sir."

"Let her in. She's a friend of Akari's." Yugi wondered why he lied. Roland had been in Kaiba's employ since they had met and he had witnessed shadow games first hand. Roland was good with weird and intensely loyal to the Kaiba brothers.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba."

The girl was a mess. Her hair was tangled and windblown, her blouse was wrinkled, and she was still panting slightly-she looked like she had run there. Had she been attacked? Yugi found himself scanning her for injury without even really intending to.

"I apologize for inconveniencing you Mr. Kaiba. Thank you for speaking to me."

"What was so urgent that it couldn't wait?"

She sat down the rather large bag that she had been carrying and began to rummage through it. When he caught the glimmer of gold he realized what it was immediately. The items were all with their rightful owners. Maybe there was some special significance to that. "This." She held it up. This is one of those _things_ isn't it?"

Seto quickly examined the scales and Yugi knew that he had found what he was looking for-the eye of Horus. Each item had this eye and a telltale unnatural metallic glint that wasn't quite gold or bronze. Seto had an eye for detail, so Yugi knew that he could spot the real thing a mile away. "If I believed in coincidences, I'd say that it was strange that both you and Mokuba found your items at about the same time."

The girl's grip around the base of the item tightened and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it again. She then opened it and hesitantly said, "I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Kaiba-I really am, but he told me that I needed to find you as soon as I found it, and that it was 'absolutely imperative that I don't dawdle'," she indicated with air quotes.

"What isn't _he_ telling us?" Seto growled, referencing the Priest. Clearly his relationship with the Priest turned Pharaoh hadn't improved much. Yugi sighed. Life would be so much easier for everyone if Seto decided to just have a civil relationship with him.

"I guess we'll find out." Mokuba shrugged.

She sat down the scales and said, "I did some research on this nameless pharaoh."

"What did you find?"Ishizu asked, probably out of professional curiosity because she herself had contributed most of the information known about him.

"There still isn't as much information about him as there is for some of the pharaohs, but it does mention that he was supposed to return in order to search for his memories, which happened over twenty years ago, right? The shadow games were supposed to leave with him, so why are they back, and why do we have these things?"

Yugi himself was about to comment, but Marik beat him too it. "It's because his ancient enemy has returned. He never got his revenge, and someone like that doesn't stop with small acts like vandalism." Marik grimaced in remembrance of his own madness and corruption at one time. "He wants to finish what he started."

"What's that?" Aiko asked.

"The end of the world."

The girl looked around the room uncomfortably and unconsciously rubbed her arm. "How can you all be so...calm…"

Mokuba stood proudly and flashed her a teasing grin. "I don't know about the others, but my job and my brother's job almost revolves around crisis management. If it's not in the job description it should be."

Seto snorted. "Why should I bother writing up a new job description unless I'm going to need a new Vice President?"

Mai leaned back into her seat and sighed. "Unfortunately it kind of comes with the territory when you're friends with someone who has a millennium item. When I first met Yugi he and the others they were into all sorts of trouble. The first two tournaments Yugi and I competed in together involved people losing their souls and ended with shadow games."

Joey shrugged in response. "One of our best buddies was an ancient spirit; you don't get much weirder than that."

"What about the whole time traveling thing? That took weird to a whole new level and I'm friends with you. That alone makes me an expert on weird." Tristan teased.

Joey elbowed Tristan in the ribs. "Shaddup would ya? We all know you're the weird one."

"I think what they were trying to say," Tea explained, "Is that this isn't our first time dealing with stuff like this. This whole situation may be weird and we may be scared, but we know that if we all work together we can make it through this!"

Yugi couldn't help but smile at his wife's confidence. Her spirit had always helped to hold them together when things got rough. Even so, Yugi found himself waiting for Seto to say something. He had been much more tolerant of them than usual, but he knew what Kaiba thought of her friendship speeches. When Yugi realized that he really wasn't going to say anything he couldn't help but be impressed with Seto's self restraint. "Don't worry, you'll get used to all of this soon. It'll be okay." Yugi tried to be reassuring and put on a brave face like his wife's, but it felt the kind of lie.

"We're wasting time!" Kaiba snapped. "Let's get on with the reason we're here, shall we? The girl might as well stay if we're operating under the assumption that they know something we don't." He paused. "Anyway, back to business. So far Mokuba and I have been able to infer that he's holding Akari hostage in Domino Deals Motel. I'm not too worried about security-that place has always been a dump so I doubt they have anything beyond a few security cameras and a lock on each door knob. We should be able to deal with the cameras and locks are easy to pick. The real challenge is in deciding how to approach her rescue."

Tristan leaned back in chair comfortably. "Sounds pretty simple to me. Get in, duel him, get her out. Isn't that how these things always work?"

"Tristan, you've been my pal for around twenty years, and that has got to be the stupidest thing that I think I've ever heard you say. Haven't you figured out yet that he's not playing by the old rules? The last time he attacked Yugi he didn't challenge him to duel did he?"

"I was just try'en to be helpful man."

"I think it's going to take all of the item holders to stand against him this time. He's more powerful now, and his strategy is different. This time he's going to try to play with our heads, probably using penalty games. I honestly don't think that out individual items are strong enough by themselves, but if we combine our magic and our strengths it might just be enough to get us through." Yugi said said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"The millennium items were created to be used together." Marik said. "Each one has an ability that compliments the others. The necklace to find someone, a key to unlock their mind, the scale to weigh their soul...their power comes from unity."

Ishizu nodded in agreement. "It is for this reason that they are drawn together. Even when you tried your hardest to keep them separated from each other they were drawn back together in the end. There was a reason that the Pharaoh had to gather all seven, after all. It is best to approach this in way that gives the first move so that we can choose to confront him with six of the items at once. If we do not we will be at a distinct disadvantage."She closed her eyes and he knew that she was trying to see the future. "Yes, I believe that he will use his ring to channel darkness. I wonder if perhaps will serve as an amplifier."

"Is a crowded hotel really a good place for a confrontation like that? What if other people get hurt?"Tea asked.

Mai nodded in agreement and twirled a long strand of hair as she considered here point. "Maybe we could lure him here? Or maybe one of us without an item could follow him, and then one of you six," she gestured vaguely at the item holders, "could be waiting for him this time around."

Aiko nervously bit her lip and said, barely louder than a whisper, "But what do we do when we get there?"

"Well…" he had never thought that far ahead. "I guess we, uh, surround him and challenge him to a game?"

Seto snorted. "Way to instill confidence Mutou. I had expected better from you" He stood up in his chair with the air of someone who was used to giving orders and said, "Since seem to collectively have the strategic ability of an eight year old we'll go by my plan. If you don't like it, say something now or deal with it-we don't have time to waste on your whining, understand?"

"And just what is this plan of yours Kaiba?" Mai snapped. "If you're being this condescending it must be good."

He narrowed his eyes into an icy glare that made Yugi want to shiver. "It's simple enough. Going off alone will only make us easy targets, so we pair off and take separate routes. Once we arrive Mokuba will dismantle their security system, and we'll extract Akari-under no means are you to engage him. If he were to try to do something in that hotel it could lead to putting too many people in danger, and if it goes wrong we'll get the blame, and I do not have the time to deal with another lawsuit. Got it?" He paused and pointed at Joey. "That goes for you too Wheeler. If you screw this up I can guarantee you that you'll regret it."

"Why you-" Mai elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Hey, what's that for?"

"Now's not the time to smart mouth Kaiba. Save it for Bakura."

Joey sighed dramatically."Fine, if that's what my beautiful wife wants then I'll keep my big mouth shut."

Mai nodded approvingly, "That's the spirit!"

"At least she has you trained, mutt."

"Hey, who you calling a mutt?"

Yugi found himself wanting to laugh at their old antics. For all that they were friends they still enjoyed a little (mostly) harmless bickering. He briefly wondered if they were doing it on purpose because the tension in the room started to lessen. Even Aiko had begun to lean back into her chair a little bit as she slowly became more relaxed around them.

Tristan stood up. "Now that we have a plan, what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Yugi agreed with the sentiment. The wait was torturous. Each moment that he was unable to act was that much more time that his daughter was in the hands of a mad man.

"That's not a good idea." Marik shook his head and pleadingly looked at his sister for help. "You're forgetting that he has allied himself with the shadows. We need to stay in the open and go when the sun's out. Now that he can travel through the shadows we need to be cautious."

Ishizu touched her necklace nodded in agreement. "He will not be able to follow us quite so easily when he is unable to travel through shadows, so if we take heed we may be able to catch him by surprise."

"I thought that you had already seen how this would work out?" Tristan blurted

"I learned the hard way during battle city that sometimes the outcome of the future is not always set in stone."

"Fine then, so when do we leave?"

"We need to plan to arrive when the sun's at its highest."

"You're telling me that we have to wait for noon tomorrow?" Tristan whined. "Now that we have a plan I don't think that I can wait that long!"

"Shouldn't we have some sort of plan for when we get there?" Aiko asked shyly, her voice so soft that they could barely hear her. "I mean, what do we do if he tries to attack us?"

As far as Yugi could tell they only ever had one option. If they were too strong individually, they'd have to work together and trust in each other. "We all stand together. It's the only way. We can count on him underestimating the bond that we all share. We're each bound together by fate, by the items, shared experience, and friendship-our bond makes us stronger, and that's something that he will never be able to understand." Yugi knew that together they were stronger, but even there were no guarantees that it would be enough. Despite all of their plans they still had only the vaguest notion of what they were up against. Friendship is powerful, but could it be enough to conquer evil incarnate? All they knew was that they had to win because if they failed everyone would suffer.

* * *

Meanwhile in Domino Deals Motel:

"Oh, I understand perfectly Yugi…" Bakura turned to face Akari "Your father's coming for you at long last my little pawn. It appears that it is finally time for our game to begin. Tell me little light," he leaned down so that he was eye level with the girl sitting in the desk chair. His lips slowly crept into a sinister grin. "Do you like games?"

Author's note:

Hi guys! So this chapter ended up being twice the length that I thought it was going to be. A review made me think more about how I was going to write this chapter and the next, so I decided to make some changes to this and completely re-write the next. So this is my last (mostly) pre-written chapter. So you can expect that it will take at least a week to get the next one out. I might end up putting up some chapter that didn't make the cut though, so let me know what you think. This one was a little slow but the next chapter is when things start to pick up.

*Oh, I almost forgot: Akari means light, so if you're wondering why Bakura called her that...now you know.

Please let me know what you think through reviews!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

-TheEagerScribbler


	14. Akari's pov

Author's note: Hi guys! I just wanted to let you know that the next *real* chapter will be out sometime between Thursday and Sunday if all goes well. My classes are keeping me busy, which means that I haven't had a chance to start it yet. It'll be my first non pre-written chapter, so I can make no promises other than to say that I'll try to keep to that guys are awesome, so I wanted to give you guys something until the chapter comes out. Unless you guys want me to keep it up I'll delete it when the next chapter is ready for you!

Thanks for all of your support so far!

-TheEagerScribbler

***In case you haven't read the author's note: This is just to tide you over until I finish the next chapter. I'll delete it before I post it unless you guys want me to keep it up.

Higher Stakes: Akari's pov

Every hour of every day was spent locked in the same shoebox motel room. Sometimes Bakura, Akari's captor, would leave for hours on end and come back looking entirely too pleased with himself, and other days he'd come back in a foul mood. On those days he'd come back muttering and swearing under his breath in a language that she couldn't understand.

Often he'd just sit there in the desk chair and watch her with calculating eyes. Maybe he was trying to figure the best way to factor her into his plans, or maybe he was just a creep. Either way it made a shiver crawl up her spine.

Sometimes when he was bored he'd tell her about his earlier encounters with her dad and the ancient Pharaoh that had bested him twice, or sometimes he'd ramble on about fate and destiny.

"It appears that fate has brought us all together one final time. Things didn't happen the way that they were meant to and now fate is finally bringing about what should have been! You get to watch as history is made little girl-you should feel honored!" He'd said one evening late at night when neither could sleep.

"You're right, I'm glad I'll get to be there to watch my father kick your butt back to Egypt!"

"I doubt that. But Egypt...that _is_ intriguing."

Many of their conversations were like that. She sometimes got the feeling that she didn't entirely understand what he was talking about because he'd say and mean another.

He was definitely clever, and he did have a way with words, but there was something off about him. She wondered if the evil had made him unbalanced somehow. If she were to be honest with herself (something that she had attempted to make a habit of doing) she had wondered why he hadn't done anything to her. She had thought that he'd at least try to use her shake her dad during a duel or something. Instead he'd bring back a pizza or take out and use the stolen credit card to rent a movie.

Today he had brought back something that smelled spices. Before he even took it out of the bag she knew what it was-it had to have been some sort of curry, because it smelled exactly like her Mom's cooking. He handed her a fork-it was real tableware this time-and flimsy paper plate that he glomped a portion of chicken and rice onto.

"I thought you'd appreciate a little change." He had said with a strange smile on his face.

She looked at with some hesitation. It smelled delicious, but how did she know that he hadn't poisoned it?

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe-surely you've realized now that it is most advantageous for me to keep you alive until my plans come to fruition."

She shrugged and took a bite. It was cold, but it tasted exactly like her mother's cooking. It suddenly hit her. The weird smile, the smell, the fact that it so cold- it _was_ her mother's cooking. Her heart stopped and she nearly dropped the plate. He had broken into her house? "What did you do to them?" She shouted.

"I just dropped by for a little visit, that's all. Nobody was there, so I stole some food from the fridge. I don't suppose stealing the right word anyway-you do technically live there after all, and I have graciously decided to share it with you. We are simply two acquaintances sharing a meal together. I hardly think they'll notice-your mother's been busy in the kitchen lately-the entire icebox was filled with food. You could have fed my village for a week with all of the food in there." His face suddenly grew dark, but he chose not to say something. His message was loud and clear. She had better behave herself or he'd hurt her family. It wasn't like she could do anything anyway. As much as she wanted to, escape was impossible. How does one escape a cage with no door?

She missed everything-her dad's easy smile, her mom's pep talks, Uncle Joey's spurr of the moment duels, and Uncle Seto's lectures about keeping ahead of everyone else. She had never missed home so much. She hated it, but all she could was wait for her Dad to rescue her. If anyone could do it, it was him...right? For the thousandth time she had been kidnapped she found herself repeating something that her Mom had said a thousand times-Have faith.

Author's note:

How'd you like a peek into Akari's situation? Thanks so much to all who read and review. The next chapter should be up in about a week!

Sincerely,

TheEagerScribbler


	15. His own worst enemy

Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm sorry for the awful delay-right now I'm in college (university for you non-americans) and I'm taking 18 credit hours. The other day my friend kept talking about this thing called sleep. I'm not sure what it is, but apparently I need more of it. Despite the long wait I'm not giving up on this story, but updates are going to take a while. At the moment I'm lucky to have the time to do a page at a time (usually it ends up just being a few paragraphs or a couple of lines of dialogue) because I don't have time to do much of anything other than scramble to get class work done. Please just hang there-if you've like the story so far you won't want to miss what I have planned for the (hopefully) near future. Also, I apologize for any errors that you might find. These days I'm pretty exhausted and don't have a ton of time to edit.

An interesting thing about this chapter is that there was no way to get around switching POV. Of course, I'm not complaining-I really enjoy writing his POV. I just wanted to warn you because I know that frequently switching point of views can get a little confusing. Anyway, on a different note: This chapter is going to be interesting. If you don't believe me, please read on!

Thanks to everyone who has stuck by this story so far. Hopefully you'll continue to like what you see. Also, thanks to all who read and reviewed the filler chapter. Should I keep it up?

-TheEagerScribbler

 **The Story so far:** It's been twenty years and Yugi and the gang have all made lives for themselves. Bakura finds his way back out of the shadow realm and shows up in domino for revenge. The items resurface and their rightful holders are left trying to find a way to defeat a man allied with darkness itself. In the process Yugi has nearly been killed, his daughter Akari has been kidnapped, and he has been forced to both participate and initiate a shadow game. Now that all of the item holders are finally gathered they have a plan to rescue his daughter. Now it's time to see if they're up to the challenge of facing the shadows…

Chapter 15: His own worst enemy

Yugi's phone alarm went off at exactly noon the next day. He sent a text to the gang signifying that it was time for them to make their move. He and Tea were going to be taking to take a back way that they had mapped out. They hoped that it had enough twists and turns that they would be able to shake off anyone in pursuit of them.

"I've got my deck." Tea said.

Yugi would rather that she not duel at all, but it might be necessary. He nodded. and said, "And I've got mine. I think we're ready to go." It had been decided that all of them would try to get there at approximately 12:25. If they weren't it was to be assumed that somebody had been attacked and they were supposed to go looking for them. Yugi's route was the longest, but also the safest and had the least traffic, so they thought that with a bit of luck they should be able to make it without being too terribly late.

He held the door open for his wife and locked the door behind him before they began to walk briskly to their destination. Yugi thought that he spotted a man in a cloak but wasn't sure. "Just keep walking at a normal pace,"Tea had said. "We'll stick out too much if we try to run. Keep your head down and keep your eyes away from them. Just walk quickly while you're doing it." Yugi nodded and managed to round a corner before the man turned around.

"That was a close one," Tea panted.

"Yeah, I know. We're just lucky that he wasn't paying attention to us." Yugi said in agreement. Yugi began mentally preparing himself for the next game. If for some reason Bakura's cronies managed to corner them he would be ready. Their plan hinged on each of them getting to Domino Deals Motel in tact so that they could be unified. The puzzle was good at bringing people together, and they needed it there.

Tea took his hand and began to drag him away. "Come on Yugi, we should probably get going."

"Tea, promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Promise me that if something happens to me you'll take the puzzle and run."

Her eyes grew wide with horror and she latched onto his arm so hard that he wondered if her hand was going to become permanently attached. "Absolutely not Yugi! We're a team. I can't just leave you!"

To be honest Yugi didn't want to think about that possibility any more than she did, but he had to. "Look Tea, this puzzle is too powerful to wind up in the wrong hands. No matter what happens the puzzle needs to be safe!"

"But-"

"No Tea. We don't have a choice. It's our duty to protect this puzzle. We're not the only one's who'll suffer…"

"Hey, I think I see them!" A deep voice shouted from a near bye area. Yugi grabbed his wife's hand and together they ran as fast as they could. They ran a jagged path that only a native to their beloved city could navigate without getting lost. It was a deviation from their regular path but it should keep them safe enough from everyone but Bakura. He hoped that speed could make up for the shadows that dotted their path. Shadows in the shape of wicked jaws and monsters with teeth and claws projected on to the walls of the buildings that they passed by. Was it all in his head? Had been spending far too much time thinking about Bakura and fearing the worst? The human imagination was a powerful machine that could trick itself into believing all manner of terrible things that were not true. But, what if it was Bakura? They could not risk the chance so they sped up so that their pace matched is the pounded of his heart.

The buildings around them became riddled with shadows and the formerly bright street became dull and grey. If he strained his ears he could swear that he heard the chattering and menacing laughter of a duel monster that he could not place. Their journey had turned into something straight out of his childhood nightmares."

"What's happening?" Tea panted. "Can he really do that? I don't remember the ring being so powerful."

"I don't know. Let's just keep running. We'll find him where we're heading, I'm sure of it. It's getting progressively worse the closer we get to Domino Deals- he must be waiting for us." Yugi growled.

"We should be close. I didn't get a good look at any signs, but I think we're about two streets over."

By some miracle they managed to shake off the men clad in robes and found themselves staring at the motel. Just a few more measly steps would put him in the same room as his daughter. He was just a few steps away from where she was, but for some reason he felt an overwhelming impulse to run the other way. He looked at Tea, "You feel that?"

"I thought it was just me!" Then she gasped. "Look up."

"Why?"

"Just do it." She said in a near whisper.

He looked up and saw what she was talking about. entire second floor of the motel was engulfed in shadows. If he focused his eyes he could see monsters lurking around the building. Were they going to fight their way into the building? They glared at him menacingly but made no move to attack.

"Let's go." Tea was the one to shake him out of his thoughts and head towards the door. Yugi could hardly bring himself to enter but Tea was the one to charge ahead. Sometimes he thought that Tea was truly the bravest of all of them-she just didn't make a show of it like Joey or put one hand on his deck as they moved just in case they needed to defend themselves and moved to walk in front.

"It's me they're after." Strangely enough, the monsters let them walk past them. Why are they there if they're not doing anything? Yugi reached for the door but he was literally unable to reach it. He had been afraid of that. Who was the game against?

"Come join the party. I see you've brought me a delightful gift. You really should join me Yugi-this should be most entertaining."

Bakura was sitting regally in a desk chair as Seto and Mokuba faced a man that Yugi had never truly seen in the flesh.

"You." Seto snarled. "What are you doing here?" Mokuba had only seen his brother that angry a few times. The ferocity in his sneer and the fire in his eyes meant that the man before them would be lucky to leave the room outside of a coffin. The impossible man standing in the room with them gave the same, stern expression that he had supposedly worn in life. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were perpetually turned downward. There was no mistaking that he was the former patriarch of the Kaiba family.

"Gozaburo." Seto growled.

"I have to say that I am most impressed with the way you hold yourself. You've come a long way from the pitifully weak child that approached me that day. Now you are a true Kaiba."

Yugi couldn't help but cringe. For the first time in years Seto looked like he was ready to kill. In recent years few people had managed to ruffle his feathers so much. "Who's the girl? Robbing the cradle Seto?" He looked right at Aiko who was standing on Seto's other side side.

"Shut up! I don't trade insults with dead men. The girl is none of your business-you're clearly here because you have a bone to pick with me! Bring it on old man!" Seto yelled!

Gozaburo frowned. "I see that I neglected to teach you to bite your tongue. We're not so different you know-we're even nearly the same age now."

"The only thing we have in common is that we both use the Kaiba name. I'm happier, more successful, better liked, more powerful than you ever were, and unlike you I'm not an unfeeling bastard! Tell me, by what measure are we alike?"

Gozaburo burst into sinister laughter. "All of those things are superficial my boy! Deep down in our core we're the same, and now I'm going to prove it to you. I challenge you to a game!

Seto smirked. "You do realize that's what I do best, right?"

"We'll see Seto, we'll see. I suppose it's finally time to see what my heir is truly capable of!" Not for the first time Yugi found himself marveling at the skill that it must have taken in order to create and sustain such interesting and such personal illusions. Gozaburo looked far more solid than he expected and Bakura didn't seem to be lifting a finger.

The shadows twisted and wove together to form a hallway. "It's time for you to meet your fate! If you can find your way to the other side you win.

"I don't believe in fate, but if that's what it takes, so be it." Yugi knew that nothing good could possibly be waiting for Seto behind all of those doors.

 _ **Seto's Pov:**_

Fearlessly Seto walked down the hall and opened the first door. He was standing in front of Yugi's gameshop and it all seemed so real. He could hear teenagers arguing over something trivial in the distance and the delighted squeals of children as the played together so vividly that it could not possibly have been conjured up by even his imagination. It hadn't changed much, but it was obviously some sort of imitation of the past because the poster on the window advertised cards that he hadn't seen in serious competitive duels in years because they were too weak compared to modern cards. Despite all of the noise he didn't see anyone at all except for a boy in a trench coat. It was him as a teenager, and he was holding the ripped blue eyes card. Seto eyed the card with disdain and regret. "You make me sick." Seto growled.

"No, you make me sick." The other Seto growled back. "You've gone soft, but where has that ever gotten us? In this world you must have the strength to take what you want, otherwise you're just another lamb to be slaughtered. Is that what you've become Seto? A cute, fluffy, little lamb?" The young Seto sounded like he wanted to gag on the word 'cute'. "Father was a real bastard, but he did have point when he said, "If you don't have a use for your opponent's weapon take it away from them. That's exactly what I did."

Seto snatched the cards from the boy and held them almost reverently. Now that he had the rod and had to listen to the constant yammering of the Priest, his connection to the card felt even stronger. He could almost feel the lifeforce of the Blue Eyes and felt fiercely protective of it. "Listen here you little brat-that is not what you did. You stole a card from a helpless old man and nearly killed him. You probably wouldn't have even cared that he had diedthat

Seeing such apathy on one's own face was disturbing. Those violent, ruthless, empty days seemed like they had happened a lifetime ago. As an adult he had spent years trying to rebuild his reputation and erase the image of himself as a cold and calculating child and instead build the image of a fully mature, capable leader. This past version of himself, this _perversion_ of himself was no longer him, and had not been him since that fateful game where the Other Yugi had mind crushed him. He had Bakura's number now-getting through his illusions shouldn't be hard, especially considering the he would not allow his past to destroy him.

"I don't do this often, but considering that we were once the same person I suppose it doesn't count-you were right, at one point I wouldn't have cared. But here's the difference-the person that I am now would and I am not ashamed of that because it means that I've finally managed to escape _his_ shadow!"

"That's not true. You fake it- you may do it well, but you still fake the way that you should feel in order to save face. You really couldn't care less even if it happened today!" Some small doubts began to surface but he slammed a lid on them. He could not allow for them to surface .

"I have heard enough! I will not be reprimanded by a boy too young to even shave. I am at least twenty years older than you and have had the opportunity to learn from life experiences which you cannot even begin to my sight-I will not allow you to waste my time more than you already have!" He commanded with as much force as he could. His voice had scared men with far worse reputations than his current self. Surely it would banish the ghost of his past? Of course he was right, he usually was. If Yugi's experiences were a good indicator of Bakura's intentions this so called, 'game' was meant to test his strength and make him doubt himself. Bakura had clearly underestimated him.

He walked down the street until he saw the next doorway. He was younger still. This time there was no trenchcoat, just fake smile plastered onto his face. He had not yet become a master of deception. Seto could remember that smile-he had not yet become a master of deception and only bothered to wear it while he was still living under Gazaburo's thumb.

"Hello." The boy asked with false innocence.

"Hello," Seto said dryly as took the boy in. If the last counterpart was there to play on his his fear of becoming like his stepfather, what role did this one play?

"Would you like to come inside?"

Seto couldn't think of anything that he'd like less. He was currently standing on his adopted Father's doorstep and the last thing that he wanted to do was step inside and interact with the man or this undeniably unsettling version of his former self. He did not want to remember the cold, white marble floors or the spartan falls and functional furniture. He did not want to remember the carpet where he often found himself sitting while stealing those few precious moments with mokuba. Why on Earth would he want to remember the place where he was tormented? The first thing Seto did when he got the money was remodel the entire place. It would have been impractical to live elsewhere, but that didn't mean that he couldn't change it.

"No I will not. Just tell me what you want." Seto said bluntly.

"Are you absolutely sure that you would not like to sit down? Or maybe a drink. Father will be home shortly if you have a meeting with him." He really wished that they'd stop saying that-for all that Kaiba had mastered corporate politics he did not lie.

He couldn't remember himself ever being so coy. "Let's cut the crap. We both know why I'm here."

The boy eyed him critically. "Of course. You're me, but older. You must be about father's age now, correct?"

"I suppose. You can't be older than fourteen, so I suppose that's a fair assumption."

"Well then older self, please explain how you've gotten so soft?"

Whatever he was expecting, he didn't expect that. "You've gone soft. You're intelligent, but being soft makes you incompetent. You're not fit to lead Kaiba Corporation." It was clear that the boy was utterly disgusted by his own actions.

Seto had never wanted to throttle a child more than his past self. He had been called a number of things over the years-Cruel, selfish, heartless, ruthless, spoiled, hard, impertinent, and cold were among the many accusations that had been thrown at him either on the air or in articles published on various sources, but never in his life had he been called soft or incompetent.

Had he gone soft? He tried to think back to when he had just finally managed to establish Kaiba corporation as his own and realised that there were few things that he wasn't willing to do to protect the company and his brother. You don't become the CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation by being _nice_. Still, he couldn't help but thinking back to a week before any of this magic nonsense had reared it's ugly head. He had made the decision to acquire Future Incorporated and had vehemently refused the suggestion to blackmail the corporation. Now it looked like Industrial Illusions was about to out buy them. Yes the acquisition would be a good asset, but he didn't want it enough to try to outbid Industrial Illusions on this one. Could his momentary lapse of judgement cause him to go soft?

Seto knew that he had to justify himself to noone, but for some reason that ridiculous child was making him feel defensive. If he were the sort of person who was slave to his own impulses he'd already be yelling at him. He however, knew that it would get him nowhere, especially with _himself_ , no matter how twisted it was. From a distance it was easy to dismiss a shadow game as being all illusions, but when you yourself are the participant it suddenly becomes difficult to distinguish what is reality and what is not, and the boy standing directly in front of him seemed very real.

"You are a child, so I suppose that it is only reasonable that you have trouble comprehending the importance of public image. If you keep your business clean there is no risk of others being able to use it as a weapon against you. I am a public figure-any scandal could be enough to damage sales. Once you have the chance to mature into a fully capable adult you'll understand." He used his words as precisely as a surgeon's scalpel, a skill that that he had picked up over the years. The implication was he was too young or too immature to do something were all it would take to antagonise him. "Listen to me carefully-I'll even speak more slowly if it will help you better understand what I am about to say-my methods have changed because I no longer need crutches in order to a damn good job at what I do. Blackmail, threats, cruelty-they're all just crutches for people too weak and too incompetent to lead. I am neither. In the two decades since I have taken over Kaiba Corporation our profits have tripled, we have become a household name, and Kaiba Corporation is the Standard for gaming technology. I have surpassed our father a long time ago."

His past self still played the image of the obedient, innocent schoolboy in his old Domino High School Uniform.

"Well, then I suppose that I'll just have to…" He trailed off and pulled off the locket. He picked it up, took the picture out, and tore it in half. "There, now that this is gone you can be free from distractions. I just want to help you, of course."

Seto didn't hear anything he said after the picture was torn. His ears pounded and he saw red. "You are not me. Now get the hell out of my face or I swear on my blue eyes that I'll murder you where you stand!" Seto meant it too. If this weren't some sort of test he might have snapped. Despite living in a mansion and being one of the richest men in Japan he still counted the necklace as the most valuable thing that he owned. No version of himself, not even when he was still angry and hardened after finally getting out from his step father's thumb would ever even consider harming it.

He left in a huff and briskly wandered through the house until he found the next door. He knew that it had to be there. Wasn't that how those things work? You need to defeat the boss in order to get to the next level? The first door turned out to really be a broom closet, and the one after that really was the library. He could go through the many bedrooms of the residence but he realised that Bakura wouldn't put the door in anything as insignificant as a broom closet. So he went straight to the belly of the beast-to Gozaburo's study. It where Gozaburo worked when he wasn't at the office, and Seto had made it his own sanctuary. To him it was fitting- if you have the crown why not take the throne?

The office was as it was in his predecessor's time-all dark wood, a heavy desk near the window, and wall lined with bookshelves that featured miniatures of his designs."Predictable." Seto muttered. Bakura was sitting on the top of the desk as he examined one of the models that had been on display. "Having fun yet?"

"I'm not, but I suppose you are."

"It's more than just entertaining-It's a window to your soul. Since it won't be around for much longer I might as well enjoy it, right?"

"If you're just here to rattle me it's not going to work." Seto was fed up with his nonsense so he he did the only thing that's worked with other self important men with large egos-he walked out. Seto reached towards the door he was greeted by himself at seventeen. They were standing in his familiar office-it had been updated slightly, but for the most part is was clearly recognizable as his office. The man behind the chair was him at sixteen. Was this was he was supposed to be so afraid of? He was supposed to be afraid of a lecture from a teenager? The thought was almost laughable.

"Have a seat."

"What, you're going to fire me now?"

"Believe me, if you were my employee I _would_ fire you. Look at you, spending your time with silly little girls that you aren't even related to and completely dropping off of the professional dueling circuit. When was the last time you came out with anything truly innovative? Right now I have plans for new inventions while you stare at that computer screen trying to figure out how to improve on something that's already been done! How long are you going get by on your old successes and your old reputation? You're no longer fit to run this company." He growled. "So I'll do it for you." His reputation from his teenage years still lingered despite the passage of time. He was still thought of as a duelist despite that he rarely had time to duel. People still thought of him as the same cold, cruel, sarcastic young man that he used to be. What had he really done for the corporation since his twenties? They used to be leaders in innovation and now...now they were on the the tenth generation of duel disks, and there were countless knock off duel disks, although none of them could hold a candle to the real thing. For as long as he could remember he had been a leader, an innovator, if he couldn't be that…just who was he? A knot tied up his stomache as he realized that maybe he was right...he'd fire himself too. He had become weak and complacent.

He pulled a gleaming silver knife out of a desk drawer and played with it. "All I need to do is get rid of you and take over your body. Who knows? I bet nobody will even know the difference."

Seto moved to the right at the same time his past self lunged forward to stab him, knocking over a large stack of papers that scattered all over the room. "You really should know better than that." He knocked the knife out of his hand before he could even realize what was happening. "You're a pitiful imitation of me. My weapon of choice would have been that gun in the second drawer of that desk." Far too many people had tried to murder and kidnap him for him not to be cautious.

"I need the body in good condition."

Seto cocked an eyebrow. "In that case you'd better get rid of that weapon you're concealing with your trenchcoat. Not that you'd win."

"I might not be able to kill you with a bullet, but I can still incapacitate you." As the resounding crack of gunfire hit his ears he tried to dodge it but his response was a fraction of a second too slow. It probably wouldn't kill him, but it hurt like hell. When he looked down red began to bloom on his shirt, but then it began to quickly darken to purple. "What is this?" He gasped. "What have you done?"

"It's the shadows. When you prove too weak to resist I'll have your body."

"When hell freezes over!" Seto spat.

"I'll bring a coat." He deadpanned. "In order for the acquisition to be complete there's one thing left to do."

"Let me guess, another game." Seto said dryly. "You can tell Bakura that this is getting old."

"No, not a game. A test. If you can't protect Mokuba you don't deserve this body. So instead we'll play a high stakes game-rescue Mokuba and you win. Lose and I'll take over Kaiba Corporation using your body. If you win I'll stop the progression of shadows and you can leave with your soul."

Bracing himself, he stood up and prepared himself to win. "I won't lose, but sure, I'll humor you and play you little game."

When he looked up he a saw a ten year old Mokuba pleading with him in wide eyed terror from the inside of a cage that was dangling over a pit of shadows. "Save me big brother!"

Seto knew it wasn't real, but every instinct told him that he needed to rescue that boy using any means necessary. Mokuba had been put in danger countless time because of the choices that he had made from the time that he was small, so his true goal, the one that took priority over everything else, was protecting him. It had become as automatic as each breath he took because he was his big brother."Like I'd stop now." He scoffed. Seto had vowed when he was still a child that he would always protect him, and he had no intention of breaking it. This was the real test, and he would not allow himself to fail.

Author's Note:

Sorry for this really long gap between updates with only about ten pages to show for it. Hopefully this makes up for it. Originally I was going to combine chapter 14 and the material that will be in chapter 15, but I decided that it was just too much for one chapter.

Please read and enjoy, and thanks to all of my readers and reviewers, chapter 15 will be out as soon as possible.

-The Eager Scribbler


	16. A desperate plea

Author's note: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and thanks for being so understanding of the huge wait. I want you to know that I do have plans to go back and edit the next chapter sometime in the near future, but as it is I'm barely getting these chapters out so...I might wait until winter break to get that done. I happened to get a little too into writing this chapter, so it's a little more eventful than I intended it to be. But really, what else can you do when you have this many characters shouting in your ear?

Thank you for your support and understanding!

Oh, for those of you who care, I'm running with the idea that Yugioh takes place in a timeline where the history of Egypt is slightly altered, because no matter what time period you choose to go with (3000 or 5000) neither are right for pyramids, which Atem has. Therefore I am basing Atem's Egypt on the Old Kingdom (I'm thinking 3rd dynastly maybe?). You'll see how it's all relevant soon enough.

Bastet, the goddess whose help was requested, is only one of several goddesses referred to as the eye of Ra. I'm sorry if I went into a little too much detail about the mythology in the chapter-I like history, so it's easy to get a carried away. I do try not to go into detail unless I have a purpose though.

I usually like to respond to reviews with private messages, but I have a guest reviewer who I'd like to respond to.

 **Yami Mayonka** : First of all, thank you so much for your support of this story! I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far! Second: You had asked if I can expand on Ryou's character. I will at some point, although he is not a major character. I've been thinking about doing some one-shots based on Higher Stakes. Ryou will most likely be one of them. If/when I decide to do it I'll put a note about it at the top of the chapter.

Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers-you've had to put up with such a ridiculous wait. Thanks for being so forgiving! I'd also like to thank Angiembabe, lalalei, and Yami Mayonaka.

They've given me some great constructive reviews!

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 16: A desperate plea

Yugi's Pov

As soon as Seto walked through the door he seemed to have vanished. Mokuba watched in horror as his brother was swallowed up the shadows and Aiko's remained firmly glued to the purple and grey mass of shadows where Seto had previously stood. Yugi, however, could not allow himself to do either of those things. Right now Seto needed them to believe in him, and somehow taking on the mantle of leadership felt as natural as breathing. So Yugi stood tall and faced Bakura. "Where is my daughter?"

"At the other end of the maze, of course. If he lives she'll be fine."

"And if not," Yugi asked with a degree of hostility that surprised even him.

A dark grin slithered up his face that made shivers crawl up Yugi's spine. "I guess we'll see won't we? Kaiba may put up a good front but his demons are far nastier than yours. They make him weak in places that he doesn't even know exists.

Without warning or provocation Bakura yelled "Diabound Attack!"

Yugi rolled out of the way, but Diabound was already advancing on him. He closed his eyes and drew a card… "Come on...please let this be a good one…"

As soon as he caught his first glance at the picture shouted,"Dark Magician of Chaos." He had thought that he had given that one to the museum, but he wasn't complaining. Mokuba summoned something from his deck too- "Chaos Emperor Dragon, I summon you!" He yelled.

Aiko looked at Mokuba and said, "How do I…?"

"Just summon it and the item will do the rest." She nodded and drew a card. "Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, please help us! I summon you!"

"Very well then, now I suppose it's up to me. Manga Ryu-Ran, you know what to do!" The item holders formed a shield of humans and monsters around the shadow game. The monsters all tried to combat Diabound, but it was as if it dissolved into shadows whenever it was attacked because it could move too quickly and too fluidly for their monsters to keep up.

"Is this the best you can do? Maybe it'll be easier to finish you off than I thought." He drew a card. "Despair from the Dark and Berserk Dragon ought to do it. Now all I have to do is sit back and watch."

There's got to be a way out, but how? Bakura's just too powerful!" Yugi thought to himself. _Use the puzzle_. The Pharaoh pleaded. "But I don't know how!" Yugi thought desperately. _Since you are not ready, there is a spell that may protect you-repeat after me. Such magic is only to be used in the gravest of danger, do you understand me Yugi?_ Yugi nodded, _Very well then, repeat after me. Eye of Ra, I call upon thee."_

"Eye of Ra I call upon thee"

Suddenly Bakura looked panicked. "What are you doing?"

Yugi didn't answer and focused on the spell

 _I beseech thee, please come to my aid_

"I beseech thee, please, come to my aid,"

 _For it is the will of the Pharaoh's, Servant of the Gods and Protector of Kemet_

"Diabound, stop him now! He's invoking the ancient rites!" Bakura yelled, no longer bothering to conceal the panic from his voice. He was afraid, which told Yugi that whatever the Pharaoh told him to do was going to work.

"For it is the will of the Pharaoh's, Servant of the Gods and Protector of Kemet,"

 _Please honored one, help us to protect all from peril_

"Please honored one, help us to protect all from peril"

 _Though I have no sacrifice in the heat of battle I humbly beseech thee, please sent thy servants to us to come to our aid._

"Though I have no sacrifice in the heat of battle I humbly beseech thee, please send thy servants to our aid!" It was much longer than the spell that the the Pharaoh used to heal him, but if it worked...

Suddenly the room became blindingly bright and two large cats appeared and bowed before Yugi. "We come on behalf of our Lady Bastet, the Eye of Ra, the Devouring Lady, she who is protector. We will protect you from peril so that you may return the favor to our people." The spell has literally summoned the servants of a goddess? How had the Pharaoh even known that particular spell?

There was no time to ponder what had happened because a monster jumped out at Yugi. He dodged and breathed a sigh of relief. He could ask him later, he thought. Right now he had to focus on not dying. Even with the servants of the goddess the battle was grueling. Not one of them wasn't panting-even Tea, who didn't have an item spent all of her time dodging the attacks. It wasn't just the physical aspect that was taking a toll on them-it was dueling. The sort dueling that they were doing used a bit of their ka to bring the monsters to life, and each time they summoned a monster, or each time the monster got injured they too felt weak.

Diabound just ran their monsters in circles and then attacked them with no warning. How do you fight against a literal shadow?

Just when everything seemed hopeless the cats grew and began to emanate light all around them. "We are the servants of the Eye of Ra, the shadows hold no sway over us." Yugi had never seen such sheet terror cross Bakura's face. He growled and began furiously summoning monsters. "Shadow ghoul, diabound, zombie dragon, thousand eyes abyss, skull servant, Archfiend Zombie, Armored zombie, Blood Sucker, Despair from the Dark, Ghostrick Mummy, attack!" It was supposed to have been a retrieval mission, and instead it turned into a full battle. Bakura was fighting savagely and in his desperation he had become all the more deadly. He thought he was going to lose, but as far as Yugi could tell they were the ones in danger of losing.

The servant of the gods appearing should have been a miracle, a deus ex machina, but it only barely tipped the balance in their favor. Yugi wanted to make his way to Bakura and challenge him to end it, but monsters just kept coming at him.

"Dark Magician Girl! Alchemist Magician! Ancient Sorcerer, Arbiter of the seals!" The amount of magic needed to summon them was exhausting, but what choice did he have? Even as he ducked and dodged he could not shake the horrible images running through his head of his friends and family laying on the ground with empty, soulless eyes. _All of us combined aren't strong enough. How do I do it?_

 _Do what Yugi?_

 _How do I summon my ka?_

 _That's what duel monsters are for Yugi. Mahad is there, so is Mana, you don't want to do it._

 _Why not?_

 _If you fail Yugi, it will kill you. Playing with your ka isn't like playing with your card-it's a part of you._

 _How is that different from the shadow games we've played in the past? I've already risked my soul in shadow games a dozen times, and we don't have a choice. Tell me how to do it! Please, before it's too late!_ Yugi pleaded.

He turned his head and saw Tea being thrown to the ground as a duel monster. Joey and Tristan were still fighting, but were becoming more sluggish by the second. Marik, Ishizu, Bakura, and Aiko were still fighting valiantly, but like him fatigue was becoming evident in the way sweat dripped down their faces.

 _I need to end this, please Pharaoh!_

 _Very well._ His displeasure was obvious, but he knew that Yugi was backed into a corner. _I do not know if you will be able to do it on the first try-you're already pushing yourself close to your limit with shadow magic. You must reach out to the puzzle and will yourself to summon the spirit. I'm afraid that no magic spells can help you-it is almost instinctual, like knowing how to begin a shadow game._

Yugi did exactly as he said and reached out to puzzle. He willed it to be, and suddenly he could feel the puzzle's power coursing through him. It summoned a mage that Yugi had never come across before. Somehow Yugi could feel the mage's presence in a way that he had only ever felt one other being's. They were connected, and somehow the feeling didn't unsettle Yugi the way that it should.

Bakura turned Diabound on him and the servants of the goddess. "Finish them off Diabound!" Yugi hoped that Seto would finish the game soon. He could feel every hit that the monster took, and he wasn't sure how much he could stand.

* * *

Seto looked up at the image of his ten year old brother and immediately began plotting his course to get there. A younger Yugi materialized by his side. "We're going to have to work together on this." Seto wondered why he looked like he was about sixteen.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's testing your weaknesses Seto. Yours is that you don't rely on others."

For the first time in years he hesitated, and then nodded in agreement.

"Help me big brother!" The raven haired boy shouted.

"I'm coming Mokuba, just stay calm. I will rescue you." He would do whatever it took to protect him, even kill if he needed to.

He surveyed the land around them and realized that it was from a video game that he had designed. "We need find the passageway through the mountain. The path that we're looking at doesn't go all of the way up." How had Bakura known to use this image if he had been gone long before this game had been released to the public? The implications of this were chilling. What if he had always planned to come back and had been watching them? Seto tried to dismiss that thought-it would only serve to distract him. He needed to focus on the present.

"Right." Yugi nodded.

"First we need to cross the bridge". Yugi and Seto stepped onto the bridge at the same time. They were halfway through before Seto realized that it was supposed to break. He could feel the wood giving out beneath him. Luckily Yugi saw what was happening and grabbed him.

"Careful."

They went across as quickly as they could before they explored the mountain. "I'm almost certain that the entrance is here somewhere…." He rhythmically tapped the pattern of the cave until the door opened. "Hmph, I don't need your help. You can leave anytime you want to." Seto mumbled.

"Sorry, no can do. I can't leave until this is all over. That's how these shadow games work!"

"Yes, well, don't get in my way." He snapped.

Their surrounding were from one of first virtual reality games, so he he himself had played it. He knew the layout almost as well as that of his own home. "Next we enter that room to the left and expect a challenge."

Instead of the duel monster he was expecting he saw a statue of Amun. It stood tall and imposing, and something about it felt alive even though it was clearly made out of beautifully polished stone painted in the image of a man.

Seto tried to walk ahead but Yugi grabbed his arm. His hand was too solid for an illusion. "Stop!" He shouted.

"We don't have time for you to tie your shoes Yugi. Let's go-I'm not your babysitter!"

Yugi wouldn't budge. "Walk with your left foot forward to show respect for the Pharaoh."

"That's ridiculous!" He scoffed. "That statue isn't going to do anything to me!"

"That's a statue of Amun, who is one of the most powerful Gods of Egyptian mythology. In the old Kingdom he was considered to be the god of wind, but later he was combined with Ra and became Amun Ra, the sun God, who the Pharaohs believed he represented. I have a feeling that if we do not pay him the proper respect something really bad is going to happen. You know exactly what kind of power came out of Egypt. Do you really want to risk it because of your pride?"

Initially his instinct was to scoff at it and continue going, but he knew that there was some logic behind what Yugi was saying. He was currently experiencing the Egyptian shadow games. He wasn't sure whether or not he believed in the Egyptian Gods, but it didn't matter what he believed. What mattered was Bakura believed because he was the one who was the running the show, and he grew up in Ancient Egypt. If he disrespected that statue he could trigger a trap. "We'll do it your way then."

"Thank you." Yugi sighed. "Please let me lead the way-I picked up some of this from Grandpa."

"I refuse to let a child lead!" Seto growled. Yugi still went ahead with his left foot forward, but he found that the walls were slowly moving inward. "Look, put your left foot forward, bow,and then apologize!"

Was he delusional? What they really needed was for him to get out of there, not slow them down further with ridiculous, meaningless gestures. "If you don't you're going to die!" Yugi said.

Seto put his left foot forward and bowed. "I apologize for my rudeness-I am not well versed in Egyptian culture, although I do wish to respect it." Maybe he could talk his way out like business meetings.

The walls moved another fraction of an inch and then stopped. He could swear that the statue was glaring at him disapprovingly, but moved aside.

"You were saying?"

"Don't push them further, this is meant to test your weaknesses!"

Weaknesses? Seto Kaiba was anything but weak. His first reaction is to snarl and snap that he didn't have weaknesses, but he kept his cool. He was hardly a hot headed teenager anymore. He knew that he was mortal like anyone else, and he did indeed have weaknesses (however few they may be).

Ahead of them was a false chamber. If there was ever any doubt they now knew that they were in a Pharaoh's tomb. It was maze like in structure, and for every doorway leading them to their destination there were five leading to fake chambers. Why would someone who was so opposed to the law put them in the resting place of a Pharaoh? He decided that Bakura had a wicked sense of humor.

"I thought we were done with all of this." He grumbled.

Yugi sighed. "I know."

Something struck Seto. No hologram, not even one of his, could possibly be capable of being so human. He had interacted with enough to know how to tell even the most realistic one apart from a human because they just felt wrong. This one, however, felt just like Yugi. "You can't possibly be an illusion! You're too real. Just what are you?"

Yugi shrugged. "I am an illusion...I'm kinda one anyway. Really I'm just a manifestation of your memories made real by shadow magic with a touch of Yugi's essence. You've got some powerful allies on your side you know, and they wanted to give you a fighting chance, so they made me as real as possible. I think that Bakura intended for me to force you to fail, but he never intended on me being real in the first place. I'm going to get you through this alive because that's what friends do!" He said, sounding every bit like the Yugi that he knew.

How interesting, he thought, that the spirits could interfere. He had been under the impression that interference with a shadow game was impossible. That changed the game entirely."So what you're telling me is that the Pharaoh made you a clone of Yugi instead of merely a hologram?"

"Um...Yes? Kind of? It's a little complicated, but that's the gist of it. You were never intended to leave this place with your soul, so I'm going to help you."

"I don't need your help!"Seto stormed out and was nearly killed by the trap he triggered that caused arrows to fly out at him. Yugi pulled him out of the way just in the nick of time.

"I beg to differ."

The explored dozens of empty rooms and climbed up countless stairs until they reached a room. The room had three exits, and on the walls was a riddle that looked as though it had been painstakingly carved into the stone. "Let me guess, you have some sort of hidden insight?" He said sarcastically.

"Actually Kaiba...I can't help much with this one." He shrugged sheepishly. "Logic was never something that I did great with."

"Fine. It says that to reunite with my lost one find the door that leads to them. One will send me back to the beginning, one will lead me there, and the other will kill me. The question is which one-they all seem the same at first glance." Hm...Each door had a word on it. The first door to the left had money, the second had family, and third had honor and pride.

Yugi stood by the door and the ready the hieroglyphs painstakingly carved into the walls around them.  
"In this world there is only one fundamental truth. If you wish to achieve anything lasting your body and your soul must be in unison. So choose honestly-which is the most important to you? If you lie you will lose. If you tell a half truth you will find yourself where we began."

"This is supposed to be a challenge? I choose family" The door opened and Seto confidently walked through. Yugi trailed not far behind him.

"No, this is the real challenge." Seto heard him before he saw them but he knew that voice. It sounded a little different from someone not wearing Yugi's face, but it was definitely him.

The Pharaoh was garbed in clothes that spoke of the decadence and splendor of Egyptian royalty. Although he wore a white tunic, he wore gold necklaces around his neck and bracelets on his wrists. Yugi bowed. "Pharaoh."

"Yugi, you have to need to bow to me. He however…" he trailed off for a moment before facing Seto.

"The challenge is simple. You must acknowledge your folly in denying your past and kneel before me."

"When hell freezes over!" What was he thinking? Why should he have kneel before anyone? Unlike him he had earned his position and risked everything to get it. All he needed to do was be born into royalty. Such arrogance and entitlement made him sick. Why should he bow before a child who had no influence over him?

Seto achieved the expected response. The Pharaoh had not been one to yell or threaten. Instead the corners of his mouth turned into a frown and his eyebrows turned downward. "I am afraid that you have no other choice if you wish to see your brother again."

"Please Seto, just do it." Yugi pleaded.

Mokuba. Moki. How terrified he must have been. After each kidnapping he had brushed him off by saying that he was fine, but there was no way that any sane, healthy child could be okay with it. He could just imagine the brave face that Mokuba was putting on even though what he really wanted to do was curl up in ball and cry. He had failed Mokuba before; he could not do it again."

Instead of kneeling he gave a deep bow. "Although I appreciate the gesture, it is not the one that I am looking for." Damn it. Bowing should have been enough. Why couldn't he have been a European monarch?

He stood there staring at throne like he wanted nothing more than to burn it, but he slowly bent down on one knee like a knight pledging allegiance to his Lord. The action made him want to vomit. Kaibas did not bow down to anyone, not even each other. Bowing down to his greatest rival was by far the most humiliating thing that he had ever been forced to do.

Both Yugi and his ancient Egyptian look alike stared at him expectantly. "Maybe there might have been some truth in all of that magic mumbo jumbo you spoke about. I should have taken it seriously"

The Pharaoh laughed. "Surely you can do better than that!"

"What do you expect me to do? Do you expect me to pander to your whims like one of your servants? I refuse. You have my confession, my admission of my mistake, now let me through."

"I cannot allow you to do that. The terms of the game are thus-if you fail a challenge you lose your soul. If you step foot outside of this room without doing as I say then all will be lost, and you may be assured that you are not the only one who shall suffer."

Hatred that Seto had never felt for anyone except, perhaps, Gozaburo, began to wash over him. If he were younger and more impulsive he would have shouted at him or challenged him to a duel. He would have gone forward to rescue his little brother consequences be damned, but now he knew better. Mokuba mattered more than his pride, so once again he kneeled down, took a calming break, and said, "I apologize for my stubbornness. Even I can no longer deny that my is connected to ancient Egypt."

The Pharaoh smiled proudly and nodded towards the door. "You must go through the chamber and turn to your left. After that the terrain should be familiar to you. I think you know where your brother is. You must hurry-time is not on your side!"

Seto broke his usual air of decorum and ran out of the room. There was not time for niceties-his little brother needed him now! He ran until he was unable to go any further because of the large tablet guarding the room. It was written in Hieroglyphs and had pictures of duel monsters on it.

Yugi walked up to his and examined it closely.

"I think it says: To those who wish to cross the door you must leave together or not at all. Prove that your hearts are one in order to pass."

Seto found himself raising his eyebrows in shock. "Since when can you ready hieroglyphs. Since the real Yugi briefly went into Egyptology. However, I should be able to read them regardless of what he can and can't do because it's necessary for my role. I was created to help you."

Somehow he had managed to forget that the teenager in front of them wasn't the real Yugi. It was disturbing hearing the boy in front of himself refer to himself in the third person as if he were 'other'. "Is that all?"

Yugi further examined the tablets in front of them and turned to him. He asked with graveness that a teenager should not posses, "Do you trust me?"

"I trust no one." Seto replied.

Yugi sighed. "In that case, you may as well just surrender the shadow game because there is no way to leave unless you trust me."

"I suppose I trust you more than others." Seto grudgingly admitted.

"Great! Now, we just need to find out exactly what-" A large Sphinx materialized in front of the door.

"My riddles are famed, but they are not my purpose. I am a defender, so I cannot allow the unworthy to pass!"

It pounced on Seto and Yugi deflected it's attack. "I summon the Dark Magician!"

Seto growled and summoned his blue eyes. "I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Stay out of the way Yugi, I'll take it from here. You've technically helped me, now I don't need you interfering. This is my fight!" He would not let a sixteen year fight his battles for him.

"No! We have to work together as a team!" Seto ignored him and directed his blue eyes to attack the creature. Somehow none of his attacks managed to make much of an impact. It only made his blue eyes bait, and he could feel it draining away at him. "Dark Magician, put as much force as you can into an attack and attack at the same time as his blue eyes." The magician nodded charged at the monster." It was the first attack that seemed to have had any level of effectiveness.

"Do you trust me?" Yugi asked for the second time since entering the chamber.

"Fine. What is it."

"Drop you attack."

"You had better know what you're doing."

"Dark Magician, fuse with the blue eyes and attack with everything you've got!" He was leaving them vulnerable to attack. What was he thinking?

The new monster attacked and obliterated the sphinx. "Lead the way-you're the one who knows where we are."

They took a left and found themselves outside. "The pit of shadows is probably at the top. We're almost there. All we need to do is cross that bridge." He pointed to a rickety old bridge. The closer he got to Mokuba the more desperate he felt to free him. An odd fluttering feeling increased in intensity with each footstep that he took.

He was honestly surprised that they made it across without the bridge breaking like he had designed it to, but he shouldn't have. Bakura had taken his world and twisted it for his own sick purposes.

The feeling didn't die down until it was replaced by terror. Mokuba was dangling over the pit of shadows in a cage and he didn't know how to get him out of it.

His mind was one that had solved a thousand puzzles and knew how to find a loophole. He analyzed the plan for weakness and found none, until he remembered that he had an item, which meant that he could summon the blue eyes white dragon. Could he possibly ride it and then pick the lock to get Mokuba out? Would such a fierce creature even consider allowing someone to ride it?"

"I summon the blue eyes white dragon!" He gave a roar and looked at him expectantly. He quickly looked into it's eyes and saw something that he never expected to see on a dragon-he saw sympathy. "I hate to ask this, but if you really were once a part of the girl's spirit, could help me rescue my brother?" The monster kneeled and allowed him on. "Thank you." He said.

He flew up to the cage and saw that he cage had never been locked. Bakura must have assumed that Mokuba would not be able to escape while the cage was positioned the way it was. Once he had Mokuba safely in his arms the scene began to fade away.

"I see you've managed to escape the shadows and break the illusion." The former version of himself said. "Since you've passed my test I suppose you must be competent enough to be worthy of the body. Step through that door to leave." He pointed to a door that had suddenly appeared in his office.

"I guess this is goodbye then." Yugi said.

"I'm only seconds away from seeing the real Yugi." Seto said impatiently.

"I have to unlock the door for the game to end, so come with me." He did as Yugi said.

Coming back from an extended trip in the shadow realm was disorienting because it all felt so real. Hadn't he been holding his little brother only moments ago? Had it really been Akari that he had heard the whole time?"

"Very well.

Akari looked at him sleepily. "Thanks Uncle Seto. I knew you and Dad would come to save me."

"Don't mention it kid, now get behind me!" Somehow their mission had taken a turn for the worse. What was formerly a hotel room had turned into a full fledged battle. Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Marik were unconscious, and the item holders were covered in bruises and cuts and looked as though they were about to collapse any moment. Yugi was the worst of them, and he looked like the was only standing through sheer force of will.

"Seto!" Yugi cried. "Duck!" He ducked just in time. "Summon the Blue Eyes! I can't hold on any longer.

"I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Everyone, we need to all attack at once!" Yugi gasped.

Everyone nodded and focused the last of their energies on one last attack. Diabound disappeared and the rest of Bakura's creatures followed suite, so had Bakura himself. He seemed to have disappeared without a trace. The shadows all lifted, leaving behind an utterly destroyed room.

Two large, which somehow he had not even seen, approached him. "We are the servants of the Goddess Bastet. We were called upon to aid in this battle for you are not ready for the final day. However, such a day will come. You cannot hope to succeed unless you all work together to defeat this evil. Perhaps you, Seto Kaiba, might have once had an opportunity to walk away, but the time has passed. Your fate has always been intertwined with Egypt, and now it will be again. From this day forth your fate has been sealed-there is no walking away from this, especially for the one who bares the face of a king. They looked towards Yugi. His destiny has always been intertwined with that of Egypt and the world. When he called upon us he confirmed it by making a covenant with us that says that he will be there when the time comes."

"What does that mean?" Aiko asked. "What do mean when you say that our fate has been sealed?"

"Do not fret young one. There is hope that the world will be safe once more. It may come with sacrifice, but such is the price for the honor of those who serve the will of the gods. Those who hold the millennium items are destined for great things, especially the one who wears the millennium puzzle. Farewell my child." The whole room was flooded with white and they seemed to dissolve into light.

When Seto surveyed the damage he saw that he and Aiko were the last ones standing. "He whipped out his phone and called the hospital, and then while he was waiting he made one last phone call.

"Already on it sir!" Were the first words out of Roland's mouth.

"You don't know what I was going to say."

"I was under the impression you'd need damage control and someone to make sure that Mister Kaiba's family is alright."

Roland had been working for the company since Gozaburo's time, and had faithfully worked for him the last time the shadow games had been released. By this point Seto thought he could nearly read his mind. "Right."

Aiko spotted her parents and immediately ran over them. She tried to shake them awake. "Dad! Mom! Come one wake up!" Her lips quivered in fear as she spoke. "Are...are they going to be okay?"

"They'll be fine."

"How do you know?"

He walked over to where Aiko was sitting next to Yugi and took her hand, placing it on Yugi's neck. "Do you feel a pulse?"

She nodded tearfully. "Then they'll be fine. They've been through worse. Right now their bodies just shut down because they're overworked. They'll be fine in a day or two."

"How do I know you're not just trying to make me feel better?"

"I don't sugar coat." He said bluntly. "You can ask Mokuba. I never sugar coated anything for him, not even when our parents died. "I made a promise that I will never lie to him, and I extend that promise to you and to Toma. Now is that all? We've got some damage control to do, and you're going to help me."

"Shouldn't I stay here with Dad?"

"They'll be fine. Right now your parents would want you where you can see me. Besides, it might be beneficial for you to observe what I'm about to do."

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

Author's Note:

Hey guys! I hope that this fifteen page chapter makes up for the month between updates. Once again, I apologize for any errors. I admit to having very little time to edit again. If I missed too much I'll have to go back around around thanksgiving (which is on the 16th) and do some editing. Anyway, please let me know what you think. As promised you got to see what was going on from Yugi's perspective.!This chapter was a first for me-I've never written a dramatic fight scene before. I never intended for an all out fight to break out this early on, but it somehow ended up happening anyway.

Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!  
-The EageScribbler


	17. Recovery

Author's Notes:

Once again I apologize for the wait. Usually these chapters are somewhere between 8 and 15 pages, and they take a while to write you are only able to get half a page done here and paragraph there. Exams were brutal, and the week before was just as hard, but now I finally have a bit of time to write. Although I thought that I would be at a different point in the story by chapter 16, I can safely say that it was necessary.

Thanks to Draco'sfairmaiden for being my first set of eyes, lalalei, Yami Mayonaka, and angiembabe for your reviews!

Sincerely,

TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 17: Recovery

"Whaa?" Yugi mumbled in confusion. He felt out of it, almost drugged.

"Yugi, we need to stop meeting like this. Of course I'm always glad to see you, but this is getting out of hand." Yugi looked down and that he was laying in a modern bed, but it was was in a building that was most definitely ancient. It took him a moment to realize it because his brain was still foggy, but he was laying in the same bed as when he was shot.

Yugi croaked. "I'm dying aren't I?"

"Nope!" Mana walked in and sat on the edge of Yugi's bed. "Stop being so melodramatic-and I mean that for both of you-even you my most honored Pharaoh."

For some reason he found her cheeriness to be a little annoying, but he was certain that the she said it in a teasing way, and he wondered what would have happened if anyone else saw her. "Mana, this is a serious matter-" The Pharaoh protested. He hadn't even seen him standing there.

"Well of course it is! Your friend _is_ seriously injured. I only mean that you can stop acting like he's dying any moment now. He's going to be fine. All we need to do is let Mahad take a look at him. I'll do a cursory check, but the healing arts are not my speciality, and Mahad has always been the better Magician..."

"You're an excellent Magician as well Mana, you shouldn't speak so lowly of yourself." The Pharaoh gently reprimanded. It reminded Yugi of the way that he used to speak to him whenever he found himself on the edge of spiraling into self doubt.

"You're right A-I mean, Pharoah."

He laughed. "You're my friend too Mana, you may call me Atem."

"But you _are_ the Pharoah. I respect you a lot you know, and I've had several millennia to get used to the idea, so I really need to-"

"Enough!" The Pharaoh commanded. "You do not need to say any more. When we are alone you may call me whatever you like. We are friends, and such bonds are not broken so easily. Just because I happen to wear a crown means nothing in terms of friendship."

"It's not just that." Yugi watched the exchange with interest through heavy eyelids and noted that she was no longer looking at the Pharoah.. "You've done so much for all of us. What else are you supposed to do when your best friend saves the world from destruction and then sacrifices himself? It's impossible to not look up to you, crown or no, when you're the type of person who would give up everything just to save someone else."

"I did what anyone would do."

"You know they wouldn't!" She protested.

Atem looked at Yugi with an almost paternal pride, "Yugi would. He's risked his life to save the world, to save me, several times."

"Well, he had to be your match didn't he? That's not the point." She said dismissively.

Yugi blushed. "We only did what anyone would do." They stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. It made him wonder if he had slurred a little because he was so tired.

"Maybe you should try to sleep until Mahad gets here." Mana said.

"No, I couldn't sleep if I tried."

Atem eyed him critically and then raised an eyebrow. They may not have been able to hear each other's thoughts anymore, but Yugi knew him well enough to know that he was silently urging him to sleep.

"Really, I'm fine."

"If you say so, but I hope that you're not just trying to make us feel better."

"No really, I'm fine." Well, fine might have been a bit of an overstatement, but he was doing pretty well considering the circumstances.

"At any rate, you're both just too good, so you assume that everyone has your morals." Yugi had hoped that she would drop that particular topic. It was a little embarrassing.

"I fear that Yugi has always had that problem. I, however, am more jaded than that, but my opinion still stands."

She sighed. "I thought so. Well, since we're not going to agree, why I don't I start the examination." Yugi suddenly felt nervous. What exactly would that entail? He wasn't sure that he could handle being exposed to magic without throwing his body even more out of whack-he wasn't exactly a teenager anymore.

"Okay, now I just need you to lay still, just like you are now, ok?"

"Let's see if I remember this right." His nervousness only intensified. He looked to the Pharaoh for help.

"I'm sure you mean well, but perhaps we should leave the healing to Mahad."

"No, no, I can do it-I just know I can." She closed her eyes and clapped her hands together almost reverently. Let's see-peace, prosperity, happiness, abundance, in the name of the gods we beg for these things to help he who is injured, help him to regrow what was lost and-"

Before she could utter another word she was shoved away from Yugi. "What are you thinking?" Before Yugi realized what had happened Mahad was standing next to his bed. He scolded. "You could have accidentally given him a third arm!"

"But I didn't!" She protested. "How was I supposed to know that it would grow an extra arm? Why did you bother teaching me something so useless anyway?"

"In case someone loses a limb! There are some things that magic can't fix." That's how you know you're screwed, Yugi thought, when you were so badly injured that even magic cannot fix it.

"Allow me." He placed his hands over Yugi and began to chant. "Recover, renew, restore, replace that which has been depleted, for the harmony of the ba and ka."

There were no words for the feeling that overwhelmed Yugi next. It was pure tranquility, it was ecstasy, it was something which had no word that Yugi could possibly dredge up from remembered days of vocabulary quizzes, something that did not exist in the dictionary.

"That must feel much better."

Yugi nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't realized how empty and uncomfortable he had felt until he was healed.

"That's because your ka was injured. It was no longer entirely in harmony with your ba, and in such an event it can leave you feeling...incomplete. I myself knew such injuries when I was alive. It is the price one pays for fighting with their ka, and it is also why doing so is dangerous. You should exercise caution when using it-you are not a priest or a magician, so if something happens you may place yourself in danger that you cannot escape from.

"Believe me, I would never have used it if there was another way. My family and friends are all in grave danger-I can't allow myself to lose."

"Of course." He nodded in affirmation. "We knew the situation was dire when the eyes of Ra answered your plea. They only show in times of great danger."

"What I don't understand is how?" Yugi could not even fathom how the situation became so desperate in the first place. How had the conflict escalated so quickly? He had been under the impression that Bakura would be playing with his cards close to his chest until he was ready to pull out his trump card.

As usual, the Pharaoh answered what he knew Yugi would be thinking, rather than what he had asked. "He knew you would be vulnerable without Kaiba's presence. The items are strongest when they are unified, so he wanted to take the opportunity while it was still in front of him."

"You saw all that?"

"No, but I know the way men like him think. This is hardly the first time we've had to outmatch him."

"Actually, you were the one who outmatched him, not me, so it's not the first time you've had to outmatch him, not the other way around."

"I seem to recall that you were involved as well."

"I was only a pawn."

"Yugi," He put a hand on Yugi's shoulder, 'You were never just a pawn."

He hadn't realized how that would come across until he said it. "I didn't mean it like that. I only mean that I was a foot soldier and you were the general."

"That is hardly true, but I do concede that I-"

"Fine, we get it!" Mana moaned. "You can stop trying to out humble eachother now. We understand that both of you had a large role in the events of twenty years ago. Can we please agree on that and move on?"

"Mana!" Mahad scolded. "You mustn't talk to the Pharaoh and his vessel that way!"

"It's fine," both Yugi and the Pharaoh said at the same time.

Mana giggled a little. "I had wondered where he picked up all of those strange habits of his. Now I finally understand."

Atem smiled, but the look in his eyes was far away."Yugi had been my constant companion in those years. I suppose it would be more unusual if we hadn't adopted some of each other's habits.."

"He's right Mana. I never managed to shake his habit of crossing my arms when I stand, and Tea swears that when I duel I stand just like you used to."

"If I may, my Lord." Mahad bowed in front of Yugi, and Yugi could not stop himself from showing his confusion.

"Why do you call me that?"

"You were deemed worthy to be my pharoah's vessel."

"Really, you don't have to! I'm just Yugi-I own a shop, I raise my daughter, and I duel a little. If anything I should be bowing to you-you've saved me more times than I could count!"

"It is our sworn duty as servants of the Pharaoh." He said.

"It was my duty as the Pharaoh's friend, so let's call it even, okay?"

"No, you were chosen by the gods to be the vessel of our Pharaoh, that means that you were chosen by the Gods. You are clearly a man of superior status. Therefore I cannot allow-"

The Pharaoh leaned over and whispered, "I'd suggest giving in, there's no stopping him when he's like this-trust me, I've tried. Your chances of success with him are even less than chances of success with Mana."

"Mana, Mahad, thank you for your help, but now I must speak to Yugi alone." They took the cue and bowed. "Yes My Pharaoh!" They both said at the same time and walked away.

Yugi took the opportunity to say something that had been on his mind."I never got a chance to thank you for your help. We would have been goners otherwise."

"I only wish that I could do more." The Pharaoh said with a sigh.

Yugi placed his hand on his forearm. "No, you've done your duty. Now it's time for me to do mine."

In an uncharacteristic fashion the Pharaoh ran his hands through his hair. "I know, but all the same...I do not like that you are facing this sort of danger because of a connection to the puzzle-"

Yugi raised a hand to silence him. The Pharaoh started laughing.

Yugi was puzzled. "Why are you laughing?"

"It is a nice change to be away from those who treat me so deferentially all of the time. I sometimes forget how nice it is to have others around me who see a man and not a Pharaoh. Even Mana treats more deferentially than she did when we were children, and Mahad...well, you've seen Mahad. I a glad that you at least realize that we are equals. I do not believe myself to be superior to my friends, and I truly wish that they would believe that."

"I guess being King isn't all about money and luxury." It had never occurred to Yugi that after all of those years spent trying to get back to the afterlife that Atem might not even like being the Pharaoh.

"You are most definitely right about that." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Anyway, you were saying Yugi?"

"I was just about to say that none of it your fault. What matters now is that we defeat Bakura and get everything back to normal." Suddenly the Pharaoh's eyes grew sad and he looked away.

"You should know that your path will not be an easy one."He said with a warning clear in his voice.

Yugi nodded, "I know it won't be easy, but I am confident that we can win this."

"And so you can."

"I know that Pharaoh. I know that. I can't help it, though. We just have to try and do what we can. If I don't survive this…"

"Don't say that Yugi! You're going to live. You must have faith in your yourselves if you can ever hope to succeed. I can't promise you anything, but you can indeed win if you try to put your mind to it.

"But if I don't, I want you to look out for Tea for me. I know that it won't be easy since you're up here, but I would appreciate it if you could."

"Of course, Tea is important to me as well. I promise that I'll do everything in power to keep you all safe, regardless of your fate Yugi. I can promise you that much-I worry for you all."

Yugi could tell that the Pharaoh wasn't happy about doing that but he felt that he didn't have a choice. Yugi really might not live, and deep down he know that it was a very real possibility. Thinking about Yugi's imminent death would be difficult for him to face because he felt responsible for looking out for him long after their bond was no longer mandated. There was not stopping Yugi, and the Pharaoh knew that there was no stopping destiny. If it was the will of Gods that Yugi and Bakura go head to head that was what would happen. The Thought was terrifying to Yugi because he was unable to suppress his doubts about being physically strong enough. There was no doubting that he had the courage and the drive, but what kind of toll would the shadows take on his body?

"Thanks." Yugi didn't like thinking about that possibility but it was a very real one. "I really appreciate that. I know that he's coming after me because…" he was going to say his connection to him, but he thought that may not be the wisest course of action. He didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did.

"To me, I know. Yugi, may I offer you a piece of advice."

"Isn't that what you do best?"

"I'm being serious Yugi, If you want to survive this head to Egypt. You need to end this sooner rather than later. The puzzle will have more power there and so will I. I might be able help you."

Yugi nodded gravely and then stood up. "I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for us. We wouldn't be alive without your help."

"What are friends for?"

"Alright, I guess this is it. I need to go make sure everyone's alright." Yugi willed for a doorway to open and then walked through it.

When Yugi work up he was in a hospital bed in a room that smelled strongly of disinfectant. He was a little disoriented at first, but when he looked around he realised that nearly everyone was there as well. Luckily his daughter was fine and was sitting in a chair holding his hand.

"Thank goodness you're okay Dad! I was so scared when they said that you had fallen into a coma!"

He squeezed her hand. "I'm fine thanks to the Pharaoh. How's your mother and the rest?"

"They're all doing fine. After the whole magic thing-" Yugi quickly put a finger to her lips.

"Shh, now's not the time-"

"Oh, we're fine. Uncle Seto said that this is our own private ward and the doctors are all private doctors."

Yugi couldn't help but stare in shock for a moment. There was no way that he could have done that legally. "But he can't just buy out a section of a _public_ hospital-"

"I didn't." Seto walked in. "I did however make a sizable donation to the children's ward and the radiology department…"

The whole thing left a bad taste in Yugi's mouth, but there was nothing to be done. "Well, at least it's for a cause…"

"Yep, oh, by the way, you were the last to wake up. Most everyone has dozed off 'cuz it's almost midnight."

"What are you doing up? You should be asleep young lady. That much exposure from the shadow realm is-"

He narrowed his eyes and Yugi knew that Seto was evaluating him as they spoke. He still felt tired, but surely he didn't look that bad. " _She_ is fine. You didn't raise your daughter to be weak. You on the other hand look you got run over by a delivery truck...twice." Maybe Yugi was wrong then. "When everyone wakes up you'll have to tell us all what the hell you did.."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's put it this way, I paid the university tuition of the son of the Motel's owner for the next five years and agreed to pay off the damages to the motel."

Yugi thought back to the fight. They were being thrown around like rag dolls by Diabound and everything but him, Bakura, their monsters, and the eyes of Ra had ceased to exist to him. But now that he thought about it, there was no way that conflict like that wouldn't have trashed the room. "Sorry Seto. I'll help pay it off, since I did cause it."

"With what money? Akari's college fund? You can make it up to me-I'm hosting a tournament in six months. I want you to agree to let the winner duel you."

When was the last time that Yugi had even dueled in a tournament? He used to compete in an annual charity event, but recently they had only asked him for autographs. That was five years ago. That meant that he hadn't dueled officially in almost four years. It wasn't that he no longer enjoyed it, his priorities had just shifted a little over the years. "Sure. What are you calling this one?"

"Lately I've received multiple requests to do another battle city style tournament, so I'm doing an updated version. We're calling it the second Battle City."

Yugi almost wished he hadn't agreed. "Um...is that such a good idea? The last one was…" He was going to say that it was a total disaster. Souls were stolen and innocent competitors were attacked by the rare hunters. Somehow it just seemed like tempting fate. Once Bakura was out of the way he didn't want to have to deal with more trouble.

"Arguably my most popular tournament ever." Seto interrupted Yugi. " People are still talking about it after twenty years. Let's give them something to talk about for the next twenty years!" While it was true that Seto had hosted many tournaments over the years he had left the battle city concept alone because, in his words," Kaiba Corporation's spot at the top depends on innovation, not simply repeating past victories". Yugi had always suspected that his real reasons were the same as Yugi, although he would never admit to such "superstitious nonsense".

Akari looked from her father to Seto. "What happened during the first one?"

"Ah, did we ever tell you how we met the Ishtars?" Yugi asked.

She shook her head no. "Your mother and I will have to tell you some other time."

" 'Kay dad, if you say-" Joey burst into the room with Tea, Tristan, Mai, and Mokuba in tow.

Joey made a move to sit on the edge of Yugi's bed but Tea pushed him away and took his place. "I'm the wife. If anyone get's to sit next to him it's me!"

"Are you okay? For a while the doctors thought you were-" Tea's eyes filled with tears. "Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm okay. Mahad saved me, and I also got to speak to the Pharaoh."

"If I didn't know you better I'd say you purposefully put yourself in danger just to spend time with him!" Tea scolded him. "What did you do? What were those things? And would you care to explain that other thing you did? Whatever you did nearly cost you your life. Promise me you won't' be so reckless!" She latched onto him and would not let go.

He squeezed back. "There was no other way. We was just so strong. When things were getting desperate he taught me a spell to summon the eye of Ra."

"The what?" Joey asked.

"It's a goddess, right?" Mokuba answered. "Was it Isis?"

"Several goddess were known as the Eye of Ra, but spell summoned the servants of the goddess Bastet. They helped, but even then were were hanging by a thread, so I summoned by ka…"

Seto, who realized the implications,

"How are you guys?"

Absentmindedly, Tristan rubbed his wrist."Just a couple bruises, a sprained wrist, and minor concussion. Nothing major. Trust me, I've had worse."

"We're all okay-none of us walked away with anything worse than a sprained somethin' or the other. If you asked me someone was look'en out for us 'cuz there's no way that we could have made it out of there alive and breath'en otherwise. Besides, the Wheel man would never get knocked out of the game so early!"

"Uh huh, you just tell yourself that if it makes you feel better Joey."

"Seriously, 'the Wheelman' Joseph?" Mai snorted.

"At least you're not my biological uncle," Akari sighed in a way that told them that she thought that her uncle Joey was being profoundly uncool."

"Hey, I thought I was your favorite uncle!" He whined.

She crossed her arms "I don't play favorites."

Mokuba elbowed Joey in the ribs, maybe a little too hard, judging from the way he winced. "Let's face it Joey, if anyone's her favorite it's going to be Seto."

"What? Tell me it aint true?"

To everyone's amusement she refused to answer either way.

"That's it, no birthday present for you!"

Yugi's daughter rolled her eyes and and responded with a coolness worthy of Seto Kaiba. "No offense uncle Joey, but don't we have more important things to worry about than birthday presents. Like, you know, how we're supposed to win against Bakura when he sent nearly all of you to the hospital." Tea sent Akari a warning look to watch her tone and she sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry."

"We go to Egypt," Yugi said. "We have to end it where it all began."

"But didn't it begin in Domino?" Mai asked.

"No, it all started with the creation of the items. The Pharaoh says that the magic of the items will be strongest there, so that's where we need to go."

All eyes turned to Ishizu and Marik, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "I knew this day would come. I have managed to catch glimpses of the future. None were more than a few seconds long, but I would recognize my homeland anywhere."

"Did you guys hear that? Pack your bags we're going back to Egypt! This time let's make sure to pack some snacks. All of that wandering around the desert makes you hungry!" Tristan rubbed his stomach, which gave a comically loud growl. "Um, speaking of food…"

"If you want you can have my hospital food when it comes."

"What about me?"

"You threatened to deprive my daughter of a birthday present so Tristan gets first dibs."

"I promise I'll get ya anything you want Akari, just please help your father see reason."

"Don't drag me into this! Anyway, you were saying, Mr. Ishtar?"

"I doubt there'll be that much wandering around this time." Marik reassured them. "But we should come prepared for anything. There is one advantage to going back-we'll have access to the knowledge of the tomb keepers. There's a chance that we might have forgotten something useful.

Akari pleaded with her parents. "Can I come too?"

They both tried to resist their knee jerk reaction. "We'll see."

Author's Note:

This is a relatively light, fluffy chapter after that really intense previous chapter. It exists in it's current form because a friend asked me to participate in some nanowrimo challenges (although I did not actually participate in nanowrimo). Really it's the result of writing without really thinking about it. So I guess you could say that this particular chapter is a sort of experiment, and I loved every second of it. Please let me know what you think!

-TheEagerScribbler


	18. Making Sense Out of Chaos

Author's Note,

Writing a story like this had forced me to consider different aspect of their futures, including Seto Kaiba's relationship with Yugi and the others. I've come to the conclusion that he's generally more friendly to Yugi and Tea because Yugi was the first person besides his own brother that he had ever thought of as an equal, and since Tea's his wife they're packaged deal. He gradually came to like the others later. I like thinking about their backgrounds, so maybe I'll expand on it through one-shots or something. On another note, I just realized that we're almost seventeen chapters in. This has to be one of my favorite projects. Over the years I've done a lot of writing (I think that maybe half of it is still posted online), but this is the first one in awhile that I've gotten lost in. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers. You guys mean a lot to me!

This chapter is dedicated to someone that I recently lost. Rest in peace. We will miss you.

Sincerely,

TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 18: Making sense out of chaos

Around noon the next day Yugi was discharged from the hospital. The doctor could hardly believe that he was awake with no injuries in sight, but he quickly composed himself after a threatening glare from Kaiba and that was that. He almost missed the peace of the hospital because now that he was out they had begun pestering him for answers.

Before Yugi did anything else he needed to see that his daughter was safe at home. He knew that she was with Tea, but he personally needed to see it. Naturally he was a little disappointed when Pegasus showed up at the hospital about two minutes after he signed the discharge papers and insisted that he ride home with him.

"Yugi boy, it's nice to see you out and about at last. I wanted to be there when you woke but I had business to attend to in the city. Well, I'm here now to make up for my poor manners and I absolutely insist that you allow me the honor of driving you home."

"Thank you for the offer, but it's not that far, Really, I can walk. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you-"

"Nonsense! I've been wanting to speak to my favorite duelist for far too long! There's so much to talk about and so little time!" Yugi knew from experience that there was no use in fighting Pegasus so he resigned himself to going along with him.

His driver had parked his car right in front of the building. "An injured man shouldn't have to walk far." He said by way of explanation.

When the door shut Pegasus' demeanor shifted. "We need to talk about what happened yesterday." The mischievous sparkle and careless speech was gone. He had gone from being casually goofy to completely serious.

Yugi had hoped that he'd be spared the interrogation until they got home. When he saw the way that Pegasus was leaning slightly towards him he knew that he would have no such luck."No, I don't require an explanation-I know what you did. When I did my original research all those years ago I learned quite a bit about the ancient games. That was a bold move, summoning the servants of the Eye of Ra. By summoning them you've escalated the conflict. The real reason that I wanted to meet you was to issue a warning-that kind of power always comes with a cost. Tell me, what did they demand in exchange?"

Honestly, Yugi wasn't sure what they wanted from him. What they said was a little fuzzy-he had been struggling with exhaustion and had passed out shortly afterwards. "They said something about being there when the time comes. I don't know what that means, but it no matter the cost, if it saves the world it will be worth it."

Pegasus' eyebrows shot up. "Yugi my boy, I had no idea that you could be so ruthless."

"It shouldn't harm anyone but me, so whatever the cost is I am willing to pay it."

"Be careful about how much shadow magic you use. Shadow magic is a corrupting influence, especially for those that already harbor darkness in our heart. It was true that you were the innocent half, but even the best of us can be haunted by our own weakness. You're playing with fire now- be careful that you don't get burned."

"I know. Did you know about the penalty game that I had declared?"

"Why Yugi boy, I didn't think you had it in you, but then…" His eyes were calculating. "If you weren't capable of it you would not be able to wield the puzzle at all."

Yugi found himself falling into his old nervous habit of running his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to think about what happened that day. Just thinking about it brought a stab of fear through his chest. "One minute my focus was on saving our lives and the next moment…" Tears born of horror sprung to his eyes, "I wanted to hurt him. At first it was difficult, but I realized that wasn't normal for me, so I stopped it. I've never felt like that while handling the puzzle-No once, during my entire time with the Pharoah did I feel the draw of the magic! I know to be cautious now. I cannot afford to give in," Yugi said with determination

Yugi would have given anything for Pegasus' eye, to know what was going through his head. His expression appeared neutral, but Yugi felt as though he was staring straight through him. It was unsettling.

"Interesting…" he trailed off. "Everyone has a certain amount of light and darkness, some of us have more darkness than others of course, but for even you to feel the pull…"

Yugi was getting irritated. Why had everyone been talking about him like he was a saint lately? As he examined Pegasus' expression he could tell that he was genuinely shocked that Yugi could be tempted.

"Oh dear, it seems that I've gone and done it again! Relax Yugi, that's not what I'm saying at all. At least, it's not what I meant to say. I meant that your soul has always been remarkably strong. All I had to do was touch the millennium eye for my grief to become madness, but you invoked the shadow magic with no one there to guide you and you managed to resist. I believe that you were chosen for the pharaoh because of that strength-forgiveness and compassion are choices Yugi, and often difficult ones. Only a truly strong person is capable of them despite enduring hardship. He needed someone to be able to stand against him, to balance him."

"For a moment I couldn't even recognize myself." It probably the most terrifying thing that had ever happened to me, he thought.

Pegasus gave a knowing smile and looked out the window. "If there's one person who can resist it's you, I have no doubts. You've always pushed it away-your daughter seems much the same way. Any normal child would exhibit far greater fear. Instead she's proven to resemble her parents in more than appearance. You'll see for yourself in a moment." Yugi hadn't realized the car had stopped moving and was parked in front of their house.

"Go on Yugi. I have one last stop to make today. Alas, sometimes business cannot wait."

"Thank you for the ride."

"Don't mention it m'boy." Pegasus gave the signal for the driver to leave and was off before Yugi could even ask where he was going.

The first thing he saw when he walked in the door was his wife sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through the pages of a book about dance routines. "Why are you-"

She raised a finger to her lips and glanced towards the living room. "She hasn't been sleeping well, so I'm letting her nap on the couch." They exchanged a meaningful glance and he walked over to his daughter and knelt beside her. Deep creases ran across her forehead her mouth twitched as she mumbled in her sleep unintelligibly. Yugi leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Shh...I'm not going to let him hurt you again, I promise." He whispered in her ear. As he spoke the tension left her body and her face smoothed over. It was what he always he did when he discovered that she had a nightmare, and by some miracle usually worked. After smoothing the hair back from her forehead he left to join his wife in the kitchen.

He felt the tension leave his own body now that he knew that his daughter was safe and sound. Of course he was worried, but at least she was where he and Tea could look after her.

"So how did your talk with Pegasus go?" Tea asked as she put down her book.

His eyebrows shot up. "How'd you know?"

"I was going to pick you up myself, but he insisted that it was very important that he speak to you immediately."

Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure how to describe it. He hadn't intended to talk about the shadow game that he had declared but it had spilled out. And then there was that cryptic warning that he had given him. Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if Pegasus knew more than he was letting on. "He told me to not use too much shadow magic. It was odd, I got the feeling that he wanted to say something else but couldn't."

"Hmm...I wonder what he's got hiding up those gaudy sleeves of his," she muttered.

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. At least he's on our side now."

"I'd say." She scoffed. "I know he's changed, but I don't like you spending time alone with him."

"We talked about what happened when we fought Bakura."

"So what did happen? One minute I'm fighting a duel monster and we're barely keeping our collective heads above the water and the next minute I look up and Bakura looked scared..."

"We were losing. While the rest of you were distracted by monsters I was facing Bakura. No matter what we did he was always a step ahead of us, and while we were becoming more and more exhausted he didn't even break a sweat. We were running out of options, so the Pharoah gave me instructions on how to summon the servants of the Eye of Ra."

"I don't think I've heard of that monster…" Tea frowned in concentration as she tried to remember.

Yugi shook his head. "They aren't duel Monsters, Tea. They are the servants of the Goddess Bastet."

Tea froze and stared at him in shock for a moment. "You actually summoned the servants of a goddess? How did that even...things were really that bad?" She gasped. "I knew things were getting bad, but we've always pulled through before so I thought…."

Yugi took her hand. "We did. They helped to even the scales a little, but we won because we never gave up, not even for a moment." Should he tell about summoning his ka? No, it wasn't really a choice. Yugi refused to keep secrets from his wife. She'd probably be angry, but she had a right to know. Yugi braced himself before continuing."There is one thing that you should know, Tea."

"What is it?"

"Even with the servants he had worn us down too much. I knew that we couldn't afford to lose, so I summoned my ka."

At first Tea stared at him blankly, and then he could see the understanding slowly dawning on her face, along with anger. "Yugi Mutou! Of all of the stupid, irresponsible, dangerous things I've seen you do this has to be absolute worst! You were in enough danger as it was and then you went and decided to summon a manifestation of your soul? You could have died! We could have lost you…you're an amazing strategist. Why couldn't you come with something better than that?" Her anger seemed to have dried up and was instead replaced by desperation. She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him tightly. "I can't lose you Yugi. Don't me a widow before we grow old and gray together, okay?"

Yugi pulled away and softly kissed her. "I didn't mean to worry you. You know that, right?"

"I know. I just can't help but worry. Someone has to keep you guys in check. You're all so willing to jump in without even knowing the consequences! You've been through so much and I'm afraid that...well, anyway, someone has to be the killjoy," she hastily corrected herself.

"You are not a killjoy," He reassured her. "In fact, I think that Seto had a point when he called you my cheerleader. You were always on my side no matter what, cheering me on and fighting by my side. That hasn't changed." He hadn't realized how much Tea had been hurting, or how terrified he had been too. In a way Tea was lot like him-they both fought their hardest when they had someone to fight for. He had never been more terrified, not when facing Pegasus, or Marik, or Dartz, or even when they had faced Zork because he had been so sure that friendship would conquer all. Maybe he was getting pessimistic in his old age. He had to lighten things up a bit, so he said, "The only thing that's changed is that we have a daughter now and Joey's appetite has gotten even bigger!"

"Now that's true. I thought he was supposed to grow out of it when he was finished with puberty?"

Joey poked his head around the corner. "Someone talk'en about me?" Their friends knew where the spare key was, so they had gotten into the habit of letting themselves in. Tea's mother had commented on how strange it was that they let their friends just walk in whenever they wanted to and she had just shrugged, unable to explain why they were so close and just said, "They're family too," and that was the end of it.

Tea wiped her eyes and managed to fake annoyance."We were just talking about that bottomless pit you call a stomach."

"And here I thought Yugi would still be in bed recovering. He must be doin' better than the doctors thought, considering that he's already up for mocking my healthy appetite."

Yugi just laughed. He knew what Joey was trying to do, and he appreciated it more than he knew. "If you want to be loud Joey you're going to have to go outside."

"Why's that Gramps? Turnin' into a grouchy old man on me already?" Both Tea and Yugi wordlessly pointed at their still sleeping daughter. "Oh, sorry," he whispered rather loudly.

"A little softer please," she whispered.

Although he rolled his eyes he still complied with her request. "Still not sleepin' good huh?"

"I'm afraid not," Tea said with a worried sigh. At least she's been sleeping fine since Yugi got home."

"Aww, how cute. She knows her old man's here to protect her. I guess that means that she'll be sleeping especially well now that her favorite Uncle's here too!"

The previously sleeping girl slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes."Actually Uncle Joey, It's kinda hard to sleep with all of the noise you're making, but I waking up anyway." She stopped and turned to her father. She got up and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. Yugi grinned back. "I missed you too Kari!" Having his little girl in his arms and his wife by his side felt right. Although it was true that just seeing her again was a relief it was nothing compared to actually having her with him. Their family was complete again and much of the pent up anxiety that he'd had to cope with since her kidnapping left him. Going head to head with Bakura was still terrifying and there was no denying it, but somehow it was easier to deal with now that his daughter was no longer at the whims of a psychopath.

"Dad!" She whined when he used her childhood nickname. Yugi just ignored her because she wasn't really expecting a response. He sometimes thought that she secretly liked it but thought that it was uncool.

"This is why I wanted to leave later. I told you that we'd wake her up!" Mai said as she walked in. "How are you doing Yugi? You don't look half bad for a guy who got out of the hospital less than an hour ago!"

"Thanks Mai." Yugi said.

"Now that you're out of the hospital and everything, will you explain what happened when everyone's here for dinner tonight?" Akari asked.

Yugi looked to his wife, "Will everyone be able to make it?"

She nodded. "Yes, every told me that they'll be here-Even Seto, Mokuba, Pegasus, and Aiko should be here. Although, to be completely honest, I'm not sure how I got Seto to come. Well, I guess we shouldn't question it and should just be grateful he's coming at all!"

Mai pulled out a chair for herself at the table and sat down directly across from where Yugi and Tea were standing. "How'd you manage that anyway, Tea? We can barely get him to meet with us once a week, and even then he only comes because Mokuba drags him."

"He might be hard headed, but he ain't stupid," Joey said with a shrug. "He's been given an item and knows that it'll come back to bite him in the butt in the long run. If that were to happen it could be real bad for Kaiba Corp."

Seto barged into the room and stood between Mai and Yugi. "Yugi-You're coming with me!" Joey looked like he was about to jump out of his seat

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"Seto? What are you doing here?" Tea asked in genuine confusion. He said he couldn't be there until seven in the evening at the earliest.

"Ah, I just got back, can't this wait until-"

"No," he said bluntly.

At first Yugi considered putting his foot down but for once the order wasn't out of arrogance-it was out of urgency. Something was the smallest bit off about his demeanor, so Yugi couldn't bring himself to say no. This time it was Tea that came to his defense. "If you have problem you can talk about it here in front of us-we can help you-but you can't just take my husband and run off! That's a great way to get yourselves killed! Whether you want to admit it or not we're your friends, so sit down, have a cup of coffee and stop treating us like we're your employees!"

"No, this is between Yugi and Me, so stand down Gardner!" He growled.

"It's Mutou, and you don't come into my house and threaten me Kaiba! Yugi's business is my business, in case you've forgotten," She spat.

Their gazes remained locked. Although Tea was not physically imposing she was truly intimidating in that moment with her jaw squared, shoulders straightened, and a glare to match Seto's. This was her territory not his, and she would defend it. Mai and Joey stared at her, while Akari was cringing. She knew her mother well enough to know that if the situation did not get resolved it was going to explode. If he were being truly honest he didn't know who would be the first to back down but someone needed to do something fast.

A cup fell of the counter and his the floor, shattering into a thousand tiny fragments. Nobody was even remotely near the glass. The shattering glass broke the tension and Yugi hit the ground to clean it up. Yugi looked at the window by the kitchen sink in suspicion and saw the Pharaoh's face. He winked at him and disappeared.

"The Pharaoh's right. You need to calm down. _Both of you."_ He pointed looked at the arguing pair. Tea did not look pleased with Yugi, but soon she seemed to have decided that she agreed with him and stepped down.

Yugi walked up and stood by Tea's side. "What's this all about? If you have anything to say to me you can say it to me in front of them-you should know by now that they're family.

Seto was not happy about having to explain himself-Yugi could see a subtle twitch in eye, which was the only outward show of his restraint. "It's about something that we discussed in private, and I do not want the whole damn world privy to my personal affairs. I should've known better." He began to skulk away.

"Why didn't you just say that!" Yugi ran to catch up to him.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later they were in Seto's home drinking whiskey. He rarely saw him drinking anything besides, and now this was the second time in a month that he had seen him drinking it. He must be feeling the pressure too. "Why'd you have to make a scene out of it? If you had just called me I would have met you here."

Seto opened his mouth, and then closed it. To Yugi this was as good as an admission that Yugi was right. "I was surprised you and Wheeler didn't say anything."

"Joey and I both learned that Tea can take care of herself. But seriously Seto, if you're rude to my wife the next time the answer will be no."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I wasn't thinking straight?" That he would even admit to having problems told Yugi the gravity of the situation. Seto Kaiba never admitted to being wrong, nor does he acknowledge fear, pain, or anything else that considered to be indicative of weakness. Yugi couldn't help feel a flattered in the fact that Seto was actually confiding him.

Yugi saw the dark circle under his eyes. "When's the last time you've slept?"

"Three days ago. All of this _magic_ business has interfered with my work schedule. And on top of all of that _he_ won't shut the hell up. He thinks that because he was some sort of big-shot in the ancient past he can order me around. He's always going on about Egypt and the Ancient past and this is how things were done before. He seems unable to grasp that this is the twenty first century-there are better ways to achieve the same goals." Oh, this again.

"This wouldn't be problem if you'd just listen to him. He's trying to help you," Yugi was trying hard to sound like he wasn't scolding him, but he was well aware that Seto would see right through him.

He snorted. "Just because you let a spirit run all over you doesn't mean that I have to."

"Not this again. He didn't run all over me-he was my friend. Friends help each other. Besides, more often than not trouble found us. I seem to recall you getting caught up in quite a few things as well."

"I forged my own path." He insisted.

Yugi still wasn't quite sure what Seto wanted from him. Asking for help was uncharacteristic for Seto, so waiting was making Yugi nervous.. "So why am I here?"

Seto took another swig of drink and with a stony expression said, "He wants to speak with you."

How was he supposed to have a conversation with someone that he couldn't see? There was no way that Seto was open for letting him possess him."Um, there's just one problem with that…"

If possible his glare looked even colder than before. "Do I look like a moron to you? I'm well aware that you can't see him. He's been trying to convince me to allow him to take over my body, but no dice. I am the master of my body and no one else." He cast a glare to the empty space next to him.

Yugi addressed the empty spot next to Seto. "How about we strike up a compromise? Would you be able to talk to me when I'm asleep? I've spoken to the Pharaoh that way several times in the past."

"Can you flicker the lights once for yes and twice for no?"

"He agrees." Seto said matter of factly.

He braced himself for the sudden shift in consciousness. Yugi was never one to complain, but the first few moments were always uncomfortable. Yugi laid down on the surprising comfortable couch across from the armchair where Seto had been sitting and waited. It seemed as though no time at all had past when he suddenly found himself standing in court yard. There in the Center was the priest. "Yugi Mutou."

Yugi wasn't entirely sure how to greet him. After a moment of deliberation he finally settled with, "Hello."

"I wish to speak to you with regards to Seto Kaiba." Ok… "He is arrogant, stubborn, and refuses to listen to reason. If he does not take caution he will fall."

That was not what Yugi had been expecting. He had been expecting a request or something, not, well, whatever that was. "Yes um...Priest Seto." Something about the man made him very uncomfortable. He had felt this intimidated by anyone, not even Seto Kaiba himself. "What can I do for you?"

The Priest stood high and gave Yugi a condescending smile that would not have looked the least bit out of place on Seto Kaiba's face. It was the sort of smile he imagined one might address a servant. "Please help him to see reason. He is still fighting this. He does not even hold the millennium rod as goes about his day! He ignores my presence and all of my advice. Since he will not listen it seems that the time has come to give you advice, since my successor is being most unreasonable. You must not go to Egypt until all of you been challenged."

Did he mean in the collective sense or the literal one? What challenges must he face before he could challenge Bakura? "Sorry? I don't understand-" Yugi began, but he was cut off by the Priest who raised a hand to silence him.

"Until you face the darkness in your hearts you will not be ready to face the Dark One and his servant because it makes you vulnerable. If you allow such vulnerability to remain you may be assured that he will find it and crush you like an insect beneath his feet."

"How do we do that?" Yugi wondered at loud.

"I think that you will find that the answer will come to you."

Yugi offered his hand in gratitude. For a few seconds the priest, unsure of what to do left it hanging. It did not take him long to grasp the meaning and Yugi shook it awkwardly. "Thank you for the warning. I'll try to speak to Seto on your behalf, but you should know that he rarely listens to me."

The priest smiled genuinely for the first time and said, "Oh, he will heed your words with caution, that I have no doubt."

Author's Note:

Hi again! It's nice to see Yugi and Akari back home at last! Seto's acting a little odd, but I swear that I haven't completely lost it! His weird behavior is intentional. On another note: I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this one out. I got a little stuck, but I think that I've figured it out! Thanks for reading Higher Stakes!

Please read, review, and enjoy!

Sincerely,

TheEagerScribbler


	19. Puzzle Pieces

Author's note:

Hi guys! At long last we get to find out a little more about Aiko! It's been too long, but Yugi has had very few chances to get to know her, and she is kind of important. It looks like this particular chapter is going to be a longer one. A lot of things need to be sorted out. Things will start to heat up again next chapter.

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 19: Puzzle Pieces

After their talk Seto abruptly announced that he still had work to do and stormed out angrily. Yugi honestly wasn't sure what he was angry about, but he doubted that asking would be a good idea.

Yugi walked home, and this time he refused to make past mistakes. He tried to look casual. Maybe he wouldn't be noticed if he did. He strolled down the street like the was taking a walk, although he did try to move fairly quickly, just no more quickly than anyone else. He couldn't carry a weapon into Kaiba's house without being quickly disarmed by security, so he didn't even have a weapon, and honestly, as a man who abhorred violence, Yugi wasn't that upset about it. All it meant was that he had to be cautious when he went out into public and keep his eyes open.

A boy with messy hair and a missing tooth ran up to him with a wide smile from cheek to cheek. "Wow! You're the king of games!" He must not have been from Domino, where his face was just another part of the daily routine.

Yugi smiled "Yes I am. What's your name?"

In his excitement he didn't seem to hear Yugi's question. "Mr. Muto, is that the pyramid you were wearing around your neck in all of those tournaments? It's so cool! It looks kind of like a puzzle. I've never seen anything like this before! Well, not for real or anything-they make a whole bunch of fakes, but none of them looking anywhere near as good as this! Can I see it?" Yugi's first instinct was to say yes, but he reconsidered. It wouldn't be the first time that someone had tried to steal his puzzle. But then again, the boy was so young, with his messy hair and a round face that still contained the soft roundness of baby fat he could not have been older than twelve if Yugi was being generous, although he looked about ten. He took into consideration how young he looked until he was about eighteen when he finally began to look his age. Surely the puzzle was in no danger from such a child. He lifted it off of neck and handed it to the boy.

He looked him in the eye with uncharacteristic graveness so that he would know that he was serious, "This puzzle is very special to me because it was a gift from my grandfather. Do you promise you'll handle it carefully?"

"Yep! I promise." The boy's face lit up with awe.

The boy held it up to the light and examined it in fascination. His face suddenly froze and then he looked at Yugi. "Is this really the real the real thing?" Yugi nodded. "Wow!" And then he took off with the puzzle.

"Hey! Come back here!"Yugi ran as fast as his short legs would carry him. He was still larger than the boy, so he managed to keep up with him pretty well. He chased the boy down the sidewalk and down an alleyway. Yugi's legs may have been longer, but the boy was younger and faster. It was all he could do to not fall too terribly behind.

The boy ran into an alley and Yugi followed. Alley ways usually meant nothing good in his experience, but he had no choice. He had to get that puzzle back-it's power was too great to be handled by just anyone. By possessing it the child would be in more danger than any child should be able to handle. Yugi made one last sprint and latched onto the boy's arm. He had him cornered and boxed in against a wall. The idea of physically intimidating a kid made his sick, but if he didn't get the puzzle back the boy's life would be at risk, and the last thing that he wanted was for another innocent to get hurt by Bakura.

The boy whimpered. "I'm really sorry! He told me that if I got the puzzle around your neck for him he'd make my sister better! She's only two and she's really sick," the boy's lip began to quiver and his eyes got glassy. "The grown ups are trying to hide it from me, but I know that if something doesn't change soon she's not gonna get better."

Yugi backed away a little and held out his hand."First give me the puzzle." The boy, who truly seemed contrite, did as he was told.

Yugi put it back around his neck and backed away. He could feel the thrumming of it's power and felt more steady. He made sure that he was eye level with the boy, and then carefully asked, "Tell me, did the man who promised to help you have white hair and the necklace in the shape of a ring with an eye like this one?" He pointed to the eye on the puzzle. The boy nodded. Just as he thought. "That man was lying. He wants this because he wants to use it for something really bad. He was never going to help your sister," he tried to say as gently as he could. He couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to have his hopes crushed like that.

"No, you're lying! He really was gonna help my sister and she was gonna get better! He promised!" He protested, his voice betraying his panic..

He should have known that Bakura would take advantage of some poor innocent's personal struggle. "Listen, is it that she needs an operation that costs a lot of money?"

The boy looked away from Yugi, but he could sense the boy's desperation."I listened in mom and dad when they were talking-They don't have the money, and they say that if they can't pay for the surgery she's gonna die."

Although Yugi and Tea preferred a simple life, Yugi had one some fairly extravagant sums of money in duels in which he had been asked to participate. Because he worked at the shop and Tea also worked they had decided to never touch a dime. They were saving it for an emergency, and this seemed like it was it. "I'll tell you what, why don't you have your parents call my game shop-do you know what it's called?"

"Yep! My best friend goes there all the time!"

"Have your mom and dad call that number and we can work something out. I can't do anything without discussing it with my wife, but I don't doubt that she'd like to help as well."He knew that Tea wouldn't have a problem with helping the family, but he knew that he would hear about it later if he didn't discuss it with her first. She'd be angry because, in her words, "It was the principle of the thing".

The boy wiped at the tears that had started to fall from his eyes. "Really?"

"Really. Now, why don't go home and talk to your parents. I need to get home before my wife wonders where I am."

As Yugi finished the rest of his relatively short journey home and he contemplated whether or not it was worth telling the others about the incident with boy during the meeting. Really it only concerned him and Tea, so maybe he should wait until the others had left.

Yugi found that the door was already unlocked when arrived and walked right in. Right now keeping door and windows locked were the least of their worried-locked doors wouldn't be enough to stop Bakura or shadow ghoul, so why bother? He heard voices in the kitchen so it was his first stop.

To Yugi's surprise Mokuba was already there sipping on coffee and munching on cookies that Tea had made for the evening's dessert as he and Tea had a casual conversation.

"So Tea, you'll never believe what I just saw yesterday!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly.

Tea leaned forward with her own cup in her hands. "What is it?"

"I just saw, um...what was his name...that guy who was with you guys during Battle city. The one who used to run that game shop a few blocks away. He's working for Pegasus now, and they're working on remodeling his Dungeon Dice Monsters game. They want Kaiba Corporation to partner with Industrial Illusions to design it."

Yugi took a seat next to Mokuba. "Hey Mokuba. What were you saying about Duke Devlin?"

"He and Pegasus want us to help to remodel Dungeon Dice Monsters. It was only popular for a year or two before it fizzled out and he went on to the next thing. Pegasus said that he went through his old files and saw a mention of the game and thought that it had potential. He's thinking about asking you to be the new face of it." He rolled his eyes.

"Uh, you can tell him that while I appreciate the offer, I've already got my hands full with the shop and Akari, and now there's the Second Battle City tournament…"

"That's what I told him!" Mokuba waved his cookie around as he spoke animatedly about how he tried to get Pegasus to see reason. "That's Pegasus for you. Since when has he ever cared what other people thinks? Or other people for that matter," He took a large, dramatic bite of the cookie and then remarked, "Seto says that we should consider it, but honestly, why should we let Pegasus use us as crutch?"

Tea and Yugi looked at each other, each daring the other to try to answer that one. "Well, Pegasus is nothing if not ambitious." Tea laughed nervously. "I think that if we tell him to back off he will."

Mokuba snorted. "Not on this planet. To top it all of it's got Seto acting all weird-he's been having these massive mood swings. One minute he'll be fine and the next he'll storm out a room. I don't know what his deal his, but he won't tell me anything!" After what he had witnessed that afternoon Yugi was inclined to agree. There had to be something more to the situation than met the eye.

Tea leaned over and touched the hand that was now resting on the table. "I'm sure he only wants to protect you," she said gently.

"But I'm a grown man, I don't need to be protected anymore! I'm not a kid, although sometimes I wonder if he forgets that." Seto had always been protective of Mokuba, and no amount of talking could ever change that. He had always seen Mokuba as his responsibility, and Yugi suspected that although he never tried to shelter Mokuba, he wanted to give him the life that he never got to have.

"But you're his kid," Yugi pointed out. "Whether you're 3 or 30 doesn't matter-he raised you. He doesn't want to burden you because he's supposed to take care of you."

Mokuba sagged in his chair, though now he wore an indulgent smile. "I just wish that he'd confide in me more. He always feels like he has to do everything on his own, and he's always put a lot of energy into protecting me. He's my brother too, and sometimes I want to be the one help him. But you know, he's come a long way. He's already asked you for help, right?" Yugi nodded yes. "Well, Gozaburo taught him that admitting weakness is the same as admitting defeat, and he never forgot it. That he came to you is huge. I think you guys have softened him up over the years. He'll never be all smiles and rainbows, but before all of this magic stuff showed back up he actually seemed _happy_. Do you know that I can rarely think of time when he was between the ages of 10 and seventeen when he was really happy?" Both Yugi and wife nodded in understanding. While Mokuba was allowed to see the side of Seto that wasn't steel plated and razor sharp the others were not so fortunate. As far as Mokuba was concerned he was his hard working protector, even if he was a little distant for a while, but the boy that they had known was manipulative, cynical, and capable of blackmail and cruelty. He seemed deeply unhappy to Yugi in those days.

"Mokuba, have you ever considered telling him all of this?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to bother him with all of this. He's busy enough." Mokuba's phone began to buzz. He listened for a moment, said, "Do you need me at home? Are you sure?" And then hung up

"That was my wife. She was just calling to say that she and Toma can't make it. Toma's running a fever. I don't like the idea of leaving them alone, but this is important."

His phone buzzed again, and Mokuba knew who it was without even looking. "It's Seto"

Mokuba listened, simply responded with, "Got it." And then he hung up. "See, I told you it was him. He says he'll be a little late, but he hung up before I could ask him. That's odd, Seto despises being late-I don't think he's ever been late of his own free will."

* * *

Tea had strictly forbidden any talk of Bakura or the items from the table. Seto protested that his arrival before the discussion was an unnecessary waste of time, to which she replied, "You're not going anywhere. Eat your fish and make conversation like a civilized human being. We all almost died and I would want us to enjoy each other's company before we start talking about risking our lives, understand? If one of us dies tomorrow I don't want to look back and think that we wasted tonight. Now eat your fish before it gets cold."

Their eyes locked again and Yugi was waiting for another explosion, but it never came. He simply quipped, "I have a company to run. I don't have time for inane chit chat," but did as she asked. Yugi noticed shadows under his eyes, but said nothing.

"Really now, how has someone in your position never learned the value of punctuality?" Pegasus chastised. Yugi wasn't entirely sure if he was serious or not-he was the sort of person who would threaten you with a joke. Only on rare occasions would he let the facade fall.

"Shut up Pegasus." Seto grumbled.

Relaxing with his old friends should have been much easier than it was. The smell of Tea's home cooked meal (which about thousand times more appealing than the hospital food) was inviting and filled the room with the smell of rich spices. Everyone dug in with gusto except for Yugi, who found that he didn't have much of an appetite. Instead he spent it focusing on conversation, and Yugi wasn't the only one who found himself interested in conversation. Much of the dinner was spent getting to know their newest guest.

"So tell me, have you ever heard of me?" Joey asked.

Aiko shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I think so. You were in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, right? I have a friend that duels, so she sometimes tells me about it. To be honest, it's not really my thing, but sometimes watching is fun."

"You hear that? Sometimes I forget how famous I am." Joey boasted.

"She recognized me before you," Mai pointed out. "Just face it Joey, I'm simply more memorable than you are. How could it be otherwise with these looks?"Mai winked good naturedly.

"Hey! You mean you don't find me the handsomest stud you've ever seen?" He whined. "I thought you loved me!"

"Well, I definitely didn't fall in love with you because of your looks, although you are fairly handsome."

"Dude, where have you been? Mai's clearly a ten, and you're what, a six?" Tristan snickered.

Suddenly Yugi thought that he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. It was a blur, a shadow, something that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Maybe he was being paranoid. What on earth was wrong him? Even amidst the laughter and good natured teasing he just couldn't seem to take his mind off of Bakura.

Tea must have caught sight of the expression on his face and directed a questioning look towards him. He gave her a reassuring smile. She raised an eyebrow to ask if he was sure. He subtly nodded. Yugi noticed that Pegasus seemed to notice their exchange, or at least had seen it going on in their head because he was gazing at Yugi with an intensity that made him uncomfortable, the same way that he had always felt when he was reading Yugi's mind. They chose to say nothing at the moment. What use was there in bothering the others if it really was nothing. Instead of putting any more energy into thinking about it he turned his attention back to his friends.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," She waved her hand as though it would help her gather whatever thoughts she had on the matter. "I'd say he's at least a seven. Maybe even an eight when he's all cleaned up. He's perfect, even if he is an eight. He's funny, kind, genuinely cares about people, is a good duelist, can cook, and most importantly, he is attractive enough to be with someone like me, but not attractive enough to overshadow me."

Joey shrugged in acknowledgement."Well, I can't argue with that logic."

Akari decided to hastily change the subject. It must have been getting too mushy for her. "So Aiko, what do you do for fun?"

Akari blushed a little. "Oh, I like to read and play video games, and I've been learning coding for a while now. I wouldn't say that I'm any good, but it's a good skill to have."

"You released a game a few months ago, did you not?" Kaiba asked out of the blue.

Aiko gasped. "You know my game?"

Pegasus focused his intense gaze at Aiko. It occurred to Yugi that he must have been using the power of the eye. "Hmm...Monster Journey. The player plays as a monster straight out of a horror movie and they are given the task of trying to convince certain key people to save the world. You win their consent with quests, is that correct?"

She looked like she was about to faint. "How did you know?"

He moved his hair aside and revealed the eye. "The Millennium eye gives me the power to read minds. I try to avoid being intrusive-"The others gawked at him, "I once abused it's power and do not wish to repeat that mistake, but I will admit to peeking everyone in a while. What can I say? I am simply a man with insatiable curiosity."

The rest of the table perked up and began to listen in. In Domino City, if you were recognized by Seto Kaiba you were going places. It was much the same for Pegasus, although these days the Kaiba name was even more important than ever.

Mokuba ignored the others who were listening intently and instead spoke about her game with enthusiasm. "I was surprised to learn that you're Blue-EyedGirl7! I played your game a few months back and enjoyed the plot, although the graphics could use some work. For your age, though, they're pretty good. You know, you could make a living out of that someday-we are."

Seto agreed."As long as you work diligently to improve yourself I don't see any reason why you couldn't be successful at it."She blushed even deeper. Yugi thought that if she blushed anymore her entire body would look be.

"Oh great, the last thing we need is another genius at the table. Two we have are hard enough to deal with!" Joey groaned theatrically.

Tristan elbowed him in the ribs. "That's just because you're afraid of being out shined by a teenager."

Put down the wine that he was sipping in order to gently chastise her. "Now now my dear, there's no need to be so modest. A talent should be nurtured. Both Kaiba boy and I-and by that I mean Seto, although I suppose that his brother has as well-have made a living using our talents. I was just a young artist when I was inspired by Egypt to create duel monsters. I painted the first set myself. Kaiba boy here rose to the top of Kaiba Corporation and the dueling arena when he was still a teenager."

The girl looked down in embarrassment took a rather large bite of food in order to avoid having to speak further.

Yugi took pity on her and turned to Ishizu and Marik after realizing that they had spoken relatively little during their conversation. Ishizu in particular had always struck Yugi as the kind of person who preferred to listen instead of talk, and when she did speak it was only to say something that she considered important. If she were in video game she'd be the one dispensing sage wisdom, like she did in real life. "I was just thinking, I've met you husband but not your son. The next time you feel like taking a vacation or come here for business you should drop by-it's always nice to see old friends."

Ishizu's smile matched his. "Yes, it's a pity that it took such an unpleasant situation for our fates to cross paths. I would like to extend the same offer to you should you ever wish to travel. Since my youth I have discovered that a home is happiest when shared by friends. Perhaps I will get to show you my home city. I think you would like it Yugi, it really is beautiful, and the modern city was built on the foundations of an even more glorious ancient culture whose legacy is carried on today by its descendants. As someone who has an interest in the history of my homeland I believe that you would find it interesting."

"I live right in the middle of the city-if you had told me that I would be where am I today when I was a child i wouldn't believe you. I find the city to be more vibrant and more open in ways that less crowded areas are not. After we fix this mess, you should come stay with us for a while and experience our culture. The past is interesting, but so is our present. There is a lot to see because each city has its own feel. I'm currently living in Egypt again, but a few years after we put the Pharaoh to rest I saved up some money and traveled around the world from city to city."

"I am grateful that my brother has come back to me-I always miss him when he's gone." Yugi didn't miss the hint of sadness in her eyes. He wondered if she was thinking about the time before he banished his dark side.

"Enough of the small talk. Everyone is done-let's get to the matter at hand." Yugi looked around and found that Kaiba was right. Everyone was finished before he had even realized it. His stomach began to sink with dread.

"Not at the table." Tea reprimanded. "Once we're finished cleaning up dinner we'll discuss it in the living room."

"Sounds good to me." Tristan agreed. "Anything we can help you with?"

"No, you all should just relax. You should go with them too Yugi, you just got out of the hospital. I know you're healed, but you should still take it easy." Tea eyed Yugi with concern, as though she expected him to pass out at any moment.

"No, that's a lot of dishes for just two people," Yugi protested.

"Sweetie, how many people do you think that it takes to clean up the kitchen? We invited all of these people over and it would be rude for one of us to not be in there, and since you were the one who was the most badly injured you get to be the one to do it. Besides,"She smirked, "Someone has to keep Joey and Seto from killing each other."

"Ok Akari, be sure to help your Mom, okay? I know you hate doing the dishes, but this really is a lot of people to clean up for."

She nodded seriously. "Sure. With two of us working on it they should be done in no time at all!"

* * *

Akari's assessment wasn't quite accurate. The tension in the room was was so thick he was pretty sure that it would suffocate them soon if Tea didn't finish the dishes fast. Before their mood had been light in way that it hadn't been in a while, but with the talk of battle looming over their heads it had gone down again. Mokuba, Akari, Joey, and Mai did their best to break the tension and succeeded on some level, but the tension never really left them.

"So Yugi, when are you gonna get in that new set? I'm dyin' to see it!" Joey had been anticipating the latest booster sets for a while now. He had always enjoyed testing his luck, and sometimes he still acted a bit like a ten year old boy in a candy store when it came to shopping for cards.

"Stop harassing the man Joey, he'll let you know when he gets it-he's had you on speed dial for years!" Mai pointed out. She turned to Tea, "You see what I have to live with?"

"Well, we can't all be perfect," He bit back.

"You're, we can't all be perfect, but it's okay, you can't help it." She winked and kissed him on the check. "Love you hun!"

"Whatever you say Mai."

There it was again. Just out of the corner of his eye he thought that he saw something move. Maybe it wasn't a figment of Yugi's imagination. Why was he suddenly feeling so nervous? More nervous that this conversation would have normally, at any rate? Maybe he was just paranoid because of the close call that he had just had? That had to be it. There was no way that Bakura would be recovered enough to soon.

After that the room became dead silent again and all Yugi could hear was the sound of Kaiba typing an email on his phone and the process of putting dishes away. Aiko kept looking at Seto as though there was a question on the tip of her tongue that she was too afraid to voice.

Without even looking up from his phone he asked, "What is it?"

"It's just...I was wondering...we haven't met in person before, have we?"

At least he put down his phone to address her. "No."

She fidgeted in her seat at the very edge of the couch and looked away. "Oh," for a fraction of a second Yugi thought that he had heard disappointment in her voice, but it was gone before he could be sure. "It's just that I feel like we've met before. Maybe it's just because I've seen you in the news or something." Everyone in Domino knew Seto Kaiba, if only because they watched the news every once a while, so her question was not so unusual.

What Yugi really wanted to say was that it was because of their connection to Egypt, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't about to open that particular can of worms. So instead he said in jest, "I wouldn't blame you for that one bit-he's always on the news. If he were to go grocery shopping on his own I'm pretty sure they'd put it on the front page."

Tristan smirked and casually remarked, "They'd probably just use it as an excuse to talk about how cheap you are."

"All of the tabloids would blame it on aliens 'cuz there's no way the real Seto Kaiba would show up at the grocery store like the us lowly peasants," Joey said matter of factly, "I don't think I've seen a good alien story in a while."

"No way, we're due for another robot story," Mokuba protested. "I actually kind of miss those. They're a lot more amusing than the speculation about his love life. They're so boring." Seto raised an eyebrow and for a moment Yugi thought that he was going to snap at him, but then, this was Mokuba. Yugi couldn't remember ever seeing Seto treat Mokuba the way that he treated the rest of them. Mokuba could get away with a lot more than everyone else.

"I think that the press should just mind their own damn business," he muttered under his breath. Yugi couldn't help but agree with that sentiment, although he probably wouldn't have phrased it exactly like that. over the years there had been a number of ridiculous rumors about him in the tabloids. Domino was still considered the capital of the dueling world, so the tabloids took advantage of the number of well known duelists that were residents of Domino.

Tea gravely walked in and set down. "Now let's talk."

"Where's Akari?" Yugi asked.

"Right here!" She poked her head around the corner. "Sorry about that, I was just putting up the last plate. She took a seat next to her Mom so that the three Mutos were united in solidarity at last.

The others were waiting for him to begin but he didn't know what to say. He'd already told them quite a bit. "Why don't you just ask me what you want to know?" He figured that, at least, should give them so direction. Sometimes he wished that they could just make do without these semi-formal briefs-it wasn't like they needed them the last time. But things were different, he reminded himself. None of them had really known what they were getting themselves into the first time.

Just as he expected it was Kaiba that asked the first question. "I've been able to deduce that he nearly won, is that right? What happened between the beginning and end of the Shadow game? I've been able to deduce that he summoned...whatever the hell that thing is, but what happened before that, and how did you manage to summon those two things?"

It was times like this that Seto frustrated Yugi the most. He had to remind himself that it was just the way that Kaiba was to keep himself from exploding."Those two things were the eyes of Ra. You could show them a bit more respect you know-without them we'd be dead. Antagonizing the gods is not a good idea right now."

"Why should I worry about antagonizing gods that I don't believe in?"

Yugi wasn't even going to dignify that remark. "He was toying with us. He bombarded us with attack after attack and nothing we did was enough to slow him down. The Pharaoh gave me a spell to summon the Eyes of Ra, and it worked."

"The cost?" Kaiba asked.

"They said something about helping them 'when the time comes'. It doesn't make much of a difference-I don't have any choice but to help. He's gotten stronger, so even with their help we could barely keep up, so I summoned my Ka. Your shadow game ended shortly after, and at that point we were only barely holding on."

Aiko frowned in confusion, "Your ka?"

"A manifestation of his spirit as a duel monster," Pegasus clarified. "I've never seen one summoned before in person, but I read plenty when I was researching...duel monsters." Mokuba was unable to stop fidgeting in discomfort. The others were unable to look at him too, with the exception of Joey, Tristan, Mai, and Kaiba. Joey and Tristan were not so subtly clenching their fists and their jaws in an attempt to not say something, Mai looked like she wanted to hit him, and Kaiba simply raised an eyebrow skeptically. It was fairly obvious to Yugi that he could not forgive Pegasus for what he did, but he was the sort of person who refused to show weakness, and that included allowing Pegasus to know exactly how much he hated him. They knew what he was really researching, and Duel Monsters was merely a byproduct of that research.

"But Dad isn't that...dangerous? I mean, I get that we're already in danger and everything, but still…" Akari pointed out, "Did you really need to risk your soul outside of a shadow game?"

Tea was tapping her foot impatiently. He should have known that she'd still be angry even after their conversation earlier that afternoon. How did he go about explaining this without giving her any ideas? "You'll find that sometimes when you have to make an _adult_ decision you have to be willing to fight for what you believe in, and you make that decision by looking at the risks and figuring out if they are worth whatever it is you're getting out of it."

"In other words, you should always do a cost benefit analysis before you make important decisions, and in this case he believed that the benefit was worth more than the cost because he could see no other way out," Mokuba explained as though that was a perfectly simple explanation.

"Oh, I see." Akari nodded in understanding.

"That's the explanation you understood?" Tristan questioned.

"I was clear and concise," she explained, with some confusion as to why they weren't getting it too.

Ishizu smiled with pride and leaned a little towards Akari."Your father did a very brave thing. I have met very few people as brave as your father, and most of those are sitting her in this room. But then, I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from the Pharaoh's chosen vessel." _The Pharaoh's chosen vessel._ He didn't like the sound of that-it just felt wrong. Vessel just sounded too impersonal. The reverence that Ishizu sometimes treated him with made him uncomfortable, but he could not persuade her to treat him otherwise. To her it was just a matter of course. Yugi's a hero and the sky is blue-both are things that she treated to be absolute fact.

"So he's gone, right?" Aiko said hopefully.

Tristan shook his head, "Not even by a long shot."

Now Yugi had to explain what happened with the Priest without actually mentioning Seto."Afterwards, when the Pharaoh saw me he told me to head to Egypt, but then I spoke to someone else yesterday and got some conflicting advice."

"Who was it?" Tea asked. "Was it anybody we'd know?"

"It was Priest Seto," he finally said.

Akari looked at Seto and then looked towards her father."You mean the guy who was Uncle Seto's counterpart in Ancient Egypt?"

"Yes, it was him."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Big surprise then that he'd give you conflicting information if his ancient self is anything like the Seto we know."

"Two Kaibas! Poor Yugi, most of us can barely deal with one! But seriously, if the Pharaoh told you to go to Egypt, then the Priest probably told you to stay because we're not ready, is that right?" Sometimes he forgot how clever Mai could be, and she had a way of knocking sense into him.

"That's right."

"Well I think he's right. There's no use in avoiding Egypt altogether, but first we need to recover, figure out where to go, and you," she gestured towards the item holders, "Need to figure out how to use your items. Some of you know already, but we do have three newbies, or well, I suppose two of you aren't technically newbies, but you haven't used your items before. And the rest of you should probably figure out how they were used in the past to help save everyone because there's no use in relying on card games if Bakura hasn't even challenged a single one of to a duel. Going in without a real plan is suicide, and we cannot afford another day like that one. Two miracles is already too much to ask, and unlike someone we know," she looked pointedly at her husband, "I don't much care for relying on luck."

"But the Pharaoh says-" Tea started.

"No, I think Mai has a point. He was right when he said that we need to get to Egypt soon, but I agree, we're not ready, and I think that he understands that. If I know him then he probably assumed that it would be understood that need to take time to make sure that we have the strategic advantage, just not too much time. I don't know about you guys, but I don't know all of the capabilities of the puzzle. Maybe it can do something to help us. If it's a conduit for magic, then maybe there's something that can help us weaken Bakura. You guys should do some research into what your items can do as well. We are lucky enough to have a world renowned Egyptologist on our side."

Kaiba wore a frown that told Yugi that he was thinking about what morons they were again. "No. For once I agree with the Pharaoh. We're being too defensive. We need to strike first while he isn't expecting us to act. If we can catch him unprepared it might weaken him."

"There's one problem: how do all of the items even play into this? We have limited information right now. Running blindly is exactly the last thing that we need to do. You're the one who taught me that Seto!" Mokuba protested. "You can't be serious!"

"But I am. Sometimes you have to calculate the risk, and if you know that you will not be able to face someone head on you find a way to weaken them first, and often that is to catch them unprepared with a pre-emptive strike." Suddenly Seto glared and rubbed his head.

Mokuba's glared right back, and Yugi could see the shock in them. He wondered if Seto had ever actually glared at him before. When Seto caught his brother's expression he explained, "It's not you. I suddenly have an _annoying_ headache. _He's_ disagreeing with me quite vehemently. It's like he's yelling at me from inside my head, and unfortunately there's no way to turn down the volume," he growled.

Mokuba looked at his brother sympathetically."Um, for the sake of my brother's sanity, maybe we should wait,"

Yugi knew Seto well enough by now to know that the priest trying to force him into submission was only going to make him want to do exactly the opposite out of spite and stubbornness just to prove that nobody could control him. Clearly this attitude did not go over well with the Priest, who was probably high enough in status to be used to obedience from most people. "No, we should attack Bakura sooner rather than later," Seto insisted stubbornly, "Just because he's ancient doesn't make him right." His eyes narrowed again, and Yugi wondered if the spirit was disagreeing with him again.

"There's one thing that we've all been overlooking," Tristan pointed out. "Exactly how do you find out everything that your items are capable of. No offense you guys," he directed this comment towards Marik and Ishizu, "But some things might have been lost to time, and somehow I don't think that it would be a good idea to actually test out everything that they can do."

"Why's that?" Mai asked, trying to understand what exactly it was that she was missing that the others understood.

"Because we're seen some of the stuff that the items are capable of, and trust me, using all of their capabilities would make us no better than them." It was universally understood by everyone, including Aiko, exactly who them was.

Pegasus moved thee hair that he had fashioned to cover his eye, "Mr. Taylor is correct-the power of the millennium eye is terrible to behold when used to fullest extent of my knowledge, and even then I'm afraid that my knowledge is incomplete, and I am certain that the same applies to each of the items, even the puzzle."

"So then what?"

Yugi looked to Ishizu and Marik to see if they could think of some other solution when he saw that Ishizu seemed to be staring out into space. "What did you see sister?" Marik murmured.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "By observing the events of the past we may glean new insight into how we might use the millennium items."

"Can she really do that? Take us to the past?" Joey stared the necklace like he had never seen it before. "I knew that it could show the future, but to see the past?"

"Why does seeing the future shock you less than the past? You've seen the past, for goodness sakes!" It was one of those moments where Yugi was pretty sure that Tea thought that Joey was acting like a moron,

"It's just...I just never knew that it could do that. Ishizu never told the rest of us peasants about that, though I'm guessing Yugi and rich boy over there knew all about it already," he motioned towards Yugi and Seto. Yugi carefully examined Joey's face for sign of resentment but saw none. He meant it in a purely factual way.

"It seemed relevant at the time, yes. I showed them visions of the past myself in order to help them understand their connection to the ancient to the ancient past. It was not my intention to leave anyone in the dark."

Joey waved away her concern."Eh, no harm no foul. You're telling us now right? Now, when are we gonna get to see the past?"

"I was thinking that perhaps it would be easiest for my brother and I to be the ones to do it. We speak the language and already have some knowledge of rituals of the ancient past. Also, you would do well to remember that I have rarely shown these visions with other people, and it is a taxing experience. One other person is doable, but more than that could be dangerous," she warned.

Mai "The rest of us can be your guinea pigs for things that won't turn us into soulless zombies or do research of our own. I for one refuse to sit here and do nothing!"

The others nodded in agreement. "You'd do that, even despite what some us have put you through?" Marik stared at the group in disbelief.

Tristan leaned back in his seat and tried to not make a big deal out of it. He was just as aware as Yugi that the comment was Marik's guilty conscience speaking. They all remembered the way that he had turned them into puppets, but they understood that he had only done it when his now banished dark side was in control. "Of course! Face it man, if we can't trust each other we're toast."

Pegasus sternly nipped that suggestion in bug before it went any further. "No. I don't think that's a very good idea. You are all of course welcome to research if you wish, but I would advise you against trying to test it on others. If you reach your consciousness into it it should be enough to help you a great deal. I learned how to use my eye with very little outside instruction. After all, it came to us, not the other way around. It is quite clear to me that the ancients had a rather peculiar sense of irony when it gave use items because they could either ensure our salvation or destruction, and not even from the hands of our enemies. I delved further than I should have dared to and as you saw during my little tournament, very nearly destroyed myself in the process."

Mokuba's face remained neutral for the most part, but his eyes said it all- they were filled with an almost terrifying fury that looked unnatural on him, and if he hadn't had as much experience with business as he'd already had it would have shown even more. He was furious that Pegasus would even have the audacity to bring up Duelist Kingdom after what he did, but he was trying to control himself."That's what you're calling it now, your 'little tournament'? It took place on a private island. There was nothing little about it. You've always had a flare for drama."

Pegasus sighed loudly enough for all of them to hear. "You do have a point little Kaiba, perhaps it would be more accurate to refer to it as my _grand_ tournament, but would that not be rather immodest of me?"

Mokuba scoffed. "At least you' be honest," the for once was implied.

Pegasus didn't respond to that remark. "As I warned our dear Yugi shadow magic can be addictive and have unintended consequences. The reason that you do not know how to use the other abilities of your items is because you've never needed them before, and therefore, have never thought to ask. The only way for us to learn is through a bit of healthy introspection."

A chill ran up Yugi's spine, and he found himself looking around the room in his paranoia. Despite how much he wanted to focus he was unable to. He could have sworn that he had just seen it a third time. Surely this wasn't a coincidence? Maybe he should say something. No, they had enough to worry about. They would have sensed it too if shadow ghoul was already there, which meant that that whole thing had to be in his head. His parents always said that he had a strong imagination, so maybe it was just his own imagination getting the best of maybe he still wasn't recovered from Bakura's attack. Right now he almost wished that Pegasus would read his mind and confirm or deny what Yugi thought that he was seeing.

Pegasus turned to Ishizu, but Yugi noticed that he quickly glanced at him."Perhaps Miss Ishtar can direct us to the right kind of resources right now while we're safe as houses." Pegasus wasn't stupid enough to think that was actually true, so he must have trying to subtly communicate with him and tell him that he was imagining the whole thing? If Pegasus was telling the truth then Yugi just had to take his mind off of it for now. So he listened even more intently to the conversation.

"I can make arrangements to give you access to the databases from the university that I am teaching at during my stay here. I contributed to quite a few of their texts in my field, but you should find many others as well."

"I thought we left that behind when we left school," Joey whined.

Tristan put an arm around his friend's shoulder consolingly. "Just hang in there Joey. We survived years of reading. What harm can a little more do?"

Author's Note:

This one is about eighteen pages-I think that this might be my longest chapter yet, which is funny because I thought this was going to be one of the shorter ones. I hope that this scene wasn't too repetitive. They needed to work stuff out, and Yugi's not the type of guy to make decisions and expect everyone else to follow them without their input (like some people we all know and love) so they get turned into 'family meeting' type things. I'm honestly not quite sure how I feel about this chapter. I actually wrote a great deal of it fairly quickly. Maybe I'll post an edit later.

-TheEagerScribbler


	20. Swallowed by the sands of time

Author's note: Hi guys! Here's a surprise update! I update as often as I can, but usually I only manage to do it about once a month. This week I've had some of those days where I just needed to write, so you get chapter 20 early! We're at 20 chapters and over 90,000 words, which means that this is my longest story (word wise) ever! I feel like I've reached some sort of milestone with this one!

Thanks to my reviewers for the past few chapters-I realized that I accidentally forgot to recognize you all in my previous chapters. You guys mean a lot to me. I write for my own enjoyment, but I appreciate your feedback and your encouragement! So thanks to _lalalei, Yami Mayonaka, and angiembabe_ for your reviews of the past few chapters, and thanks to everyone else for giving Higher Stakes a chance despite the month long gaps in updates..

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 20: Swallowed by the sands of time

"Man. I hate research. It's so boring," Tristan whined."I've been through seventeen pages of results and not one of them has what we need!"

Joey rolled his eyes."What were you expect'in Tristan? You didn't think that they'd have a whole section just for the millenniums items did ya? That'd make things too easy."

Yugi had briefly entertained the notion of going into Egyptology and had learned how to read hieroglyphics, and now he finally had practical use for that knowledge. He briefly went through countless documents and transcripts, but so far he had only found the most vague allusions to them. He should have known that he would need that knowledge one day. What was it that the Pharaoh had once told him? Fate makes no mistakes.

He saw one that was translated as _"[something illegible]...and the man trembled in terror, for the gods granted the priests power through shadows."_ Even when they were mentioned by name the items were known by other names. The millennium rod was at times referred to as the 'The possessor of wills" and the millennium eye was referred to as the 'the god's eye'. He should have known that no one but the holders themselves would have knowledge about their workings, and even they seemed intent on hiding what they could do. It seemed as though they would have to a lot of digging to figure out anything important.

Marik waved over his sister. "I think I've found something sister. It's not much, but I think we have a lead!"

He handed her his phone, and she scrolled down the screen to examine the text. _"Whosoever holds the power of the Pharaoh holds the sevenfold power. We [Priests] were given the task of keeping it in our safekeeping in order to protect our people. I have been entrusted with the care of one sacred object..."_ It then went on to talk about other duties.

"I believe you're right brother."

Mai's eyes narrowed as though she were straining to find evidence where that was none. "Well that doesn't seem very helpful. He seemed to be dancing around the subject. I have a feeling that we are not going to hear a lot from him."

"If he wrote one of these reports there must be others. By the way, do you know which priest wrote it?" Maybe there was a bright side to having an ancient spirit haunt Kaiba. How could they have overlooked the fact that they have Priest Seto right there in front of them?

"Someone named Shimon. I'm afraid I don't know who that is…" Ishizu trailed as she wracked her brain for any possible information on this person. She then fingered the gleaming necklace around her neck. "I wonder…" Suddenly her eyes became unfocused as presumably tried to reach into the past using the item. Her eyes became focused again but her face held a hint of disappointment. "I'm afraid that I was unable to find anything. It feels as though something is clouding my visions."

Yugi had an idea, and he knew that Seto wouldn't like it. "Don't even think about it," he snapped.

"But Seto…"

"We can't trust him," Seto snapped. "You don't have to spent extended blocks of time with him." What exactly had he said to Seto that worried him so much. The man was nothing if not shrewd. Maybe he should take Seto's word.

 _So...not a word from you either, huh?_ Yugi thought, eyes directed towards the heavens. _I wonder if he's not allowed..._

The most frustrating part was that Yugi felt like they should know. It was there under their noses but they couldn't quite grasp it, and knowing that bothered him. "Shimon…"he muttered under his breath. "Are you sure that it was priest?" Yugi wondered.

"No one but a priest would have been allowed to wield such power lest they decide to use it against the Pharaoh," Ishizu explained. That made sense, but for some reason their interpretation felt wrong.

"Hey guys!" Mokuba exclaimed, looking up from his laptop at last. "What about this one? I can't say much about how well it's translated, but I think I've found something." The whole gang crowded around his mac laptop to see the document for themselves.

" _Today a man was caught attempting to break into the temple. He was brought before the priests in order for his heart to be weighed, and just as we thought his soul had become infected with evil. In order to keep the infestation at bay the sacred items sealed it away using a tablet, and in the process a great beast was banished from his body. Using the god's eye to see, the ankh to enter into heart, the instrument of ma'at, and the commander of shadows, it was sealed away. The implications of the success of our experiment could lead to the total elimination of evil from Kemet."_

What did all of this mean? He knew that they could be used as a conduit for shadow magic and that a person's ka could be brought to the surface using the items, but did those mean that tablets that duel monsters were based on held the souls of real people? Or were they trapped in the shadow realm? The thought made him sick to his stomach. He hoped that was not the case. Yugi had never been comfortable with the ancient concept of justice. To him it was mind boggling that a man who stole bread to survive could be sentenced to death along with a man who had committed murder.

"Uh guys? Anyone got a translation for that?" Tristan scratched his chin.

Kaiba smirked somewhat halfheartedly. The Priest must have been bothering him again."What? Still can't read above a first grade reading level Taylor?"

"Bite me Kaiba," he snapped back."

"Isn't that Wheeler's job?"

As usual Joey let Seto bait him. This time however remark lacked some of the usual ferocity. He must have been worried. Sometimes your rivals are as important as your friends to your identity, and Joey had actually grown to enjoy their verbal sparring. For Kaiba to be off his game was highly unusual. "You really wanna try me now of all times?"

Kaiba snorted. "You wouldn't win even if I was blindfolded."

" don't really have time for this mess'in around!"

Ishizu cleared her throat to get their attention. "Well said Mr. Wheeler. To answer Mr. Taylor's question, this report says that the the millennium eye, millennium key, the millennial scales, and the millennium rod were used to seal monsters born from people's souls inside of tablets."

For the first time since they had begun their research Aiko voiced a question of her own. "What does that mean Miss Ishtar? Did they literally seal souls inside of a tablet or is it some sort of metaphor for the shadow realm?"

It was almost maddening for Yugi that he probably knew the answer but had forgotten it in the twenty years since it became irrelevant to him. If he had seen something like that without a layer a glass it must have been in the Pharaoh's soul room. He hardly remembered it anymore because those memories were all very surreal-really it was more like he viewing the memory of a memory- but he could recall snatches. He recalled that it had been a maze full of stairs leading to nowhere and traps waiting to grab unsuspecting trespassers. And stone along the walls of the labyrinth. That was it! Somewhere deep within the room were stone tablets. One of which was the Dark Magician. Now that it was all coming back he could distinctly recall that the tablet radiated with power and for the first time he felt as though the Dark Magician was real and standing in the room with. If it had literally been sealed inside of a tablet then the Dark Magician would have been unable to help him. After all, the Dark Magician was a manifestation of the soul of Mahad, who had saved him more times than he cared to admit.

"Maybe it serves as a bridge to the world where duel monsters reside," Yugi said.

Akari nearly fell off the sofa's arm that she had been perched on as she tried to take another peek at the screen, which she must have had trouble seeing thanks to the height which she had (regrettably) inherited from him. "I'm just going to skip the part where I ask you if it's really true and go straight to asking what good would it do?"

Despite everything that had happened she was still so innocent. He almost didn't want to tell her, but he couldn't make a habit of lying to her. "These people were criminals, so this was a part of their punishment."

Her eyes widened in horror. "You mean death sentences? Are you telling me that your friend sentenced people to death?"

"I don't know much about his reign, but I would assume that he and his father did what they had to do," he said carefully. "If you still want to talk we can do this later. Right now we're getting off task."

"The real question is how will knowing all this benefit us? Are you going to try to seal Bakura's soul in a tablet?" That actually wasn't such a bad idea, but he had a feeling that there was nothing on earth that could contain Bakura's soul for long. He remembered the last time. The air was thick with shadow magic and Zorc towered over them in his terrible fury as Bakura picked off their allies one by one until it was just the Pharaoh standing tall against unimaginable odds. He had learned not to underestimate Bakura, and if his recent experience had taught him anything was that the Spirit of the ring was as strong as ever, on this time he'd had years to reevaluate his failed plans and the darkness had only grown.

"There has to be some way to contain him." Mokuba said.

Joey shook his head. "Where, the shadow realm? Fat lot 'o good that'd do us. At this point he is the shadows, aint he?"

"He did it once," Yugi said quietly. They all knew who he was, and in the now dead silence of the room he could feel their horror.

Tea grabbed onto his arm so hard he could feel the circulation leaving the limb."Don't say things like that Yugi! There has to be some other way!"

Yugi bowed his head in remorse. He hadn't meant to disturb anyone with his suggestion. "Sorry Tea."

"I don't understand. Exactly how did they defeat _him_ last time?"

The room was silent for a moment when Ishizu finally answered Aiko's question. She and Marik were the only ones who were able to answer that sort of question fairly clinically-while it was true that the whole situation was very personal to them, they had grown up hearing stories and had made a career out of telling the stories of those days long passed. "With the help of the three Egyptian god cards he defended Egypt, and then he sacrificed his life, wiped his own memory, and sealed his soul inside of the millennium puzzle, which he had ordered his servants to break into pieces until the time was right for the shadow games to return.

"Oh," she squeaked. "So we need another way."

"Perhaps we can find another way to seal his soul. There's a book that might be worth looking into…" Ishizu drifted off, now lost in her thoughts.

"Maybe we should take a break before I break every damn computer in this house. If read anymore I think my eyes are gonna bleed!" Joey exclaimed.

"I didn't know that you had recently come into some money Wheeler. This laptop is a top of the line gaming laptop."

"Oh can it Kaiba! I'm not in the mood, and you can't possibly either considering, you know, your _royal_ headache." Joey snapped.

"Yeah man, just lay off will you? We've all had a rough evening and I say that we sit back and relax for a little while so that we don't all have nightmares about you-know-who."

"Hate to break to you Uncle Tristan, but Voldemort isn't real," Akari teased

"Next thing I know you'll be telling me that Santa Claus isn't real either!"

"Well…" she trailed off.

He chuckled at her good natured teasing and ruffled her spiky hair. She tried to put it back into place but it didn't want to cooperate.

"Hey!" she squealed. "That was just uncalled for. Do you realize how hard I have to work to get it to behave?"

* * *

Seto and Mokuba left the second the discussion was over because of a call about a work emergency. The others were chatting about nothing particular, with the exception of Tea. She dragged Yugi out of the room as soon as she could in order to demand an explanation for his odd behavior. "What was that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. You'll have to be a bit more specific than that."

"Yugi, now's really not the time to mess around with stuff like this. What was going on with you. For a split second you looked like you a seen a ghost, and then afterwards you looked like you were trying too hard to concentrate. Face it Yugi, you can't lie to me about this kind of stuff-I'm really worried about you!" She scolded.

Originally he had considered not telling her because for all he knew it was nothing and he just needed more sleep, but he had realized what a bad idea it was already."I just didn't want to say anything to the others in case I was wrong-there's no use in them being paranoid too," he explained.

Tea's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

It took him a moment to figure out how to phrase it. There weren't really words for what he saw because that would man that he understood what it was. "Did you sense anything odd tonight? Something...sinister, I mean." What Yugi felt was more instinctual than anything else, so explaining it was difficult.

Tea thought carefully. "No...I don't think I did, but maybe I missed something. You should ask someone with an item. Maybe it makes you more sensitive to that kind of stuff. Do you think if was Bakura?"

"Maybe. Maybe I just need to sleep. Especially since…" suddenly he remembered that he was supposed to discuss something with her. I had almost forgotten to tell you-I was waiting until we had some time alone. There was this kid…" He explained the whole sad situation and she immediately resolved to reach into the duel funds. She simply said, "We have to help him," as though it was obvious that anybody would do the same thing. They had plenty of money for plane tickets, so they weren't especially worried about money. A portion of it had gone into Akari's college fund, but he thought that there should be enough to help.

The phone rang right on cue. A woman hesitantly asked, "Um...Hello? Is this Turtle Game shop? I'd like to speak to Mr. Muto if he's available?"

"That would be me."

"My name is Risa Fisher, and I have you on speaker so that my husband John can hear too. Our son told us about what happened today and we wanted to apologize. There was no excuse for that behavior." Had he told them about Bakura?

"Thank you, but we're not angry. Did your son relay my message?" Yugi asked.

"Really, we don't have too-that's far too much to expect from family, much less a stranger-"

"Nonsense," Yugi cut him off. "My wife and I would like to help. Even if we help we won't be hurting for money-I've saved up 20 years worth of tournament winnings and haven't done anything with it. We have a daughter, and I can't begin to imagine what we would do if we were in your shoes. So why don't you stop by and accept the check?"

"No, please don't. We could never repay you."

Yugi stopped her before she could say anything else. "I don't expect you to. There are some things that a parent should never have to go through, so please, take the money. The only repayment that I ask for is that you treasure your time with your son." After many sleepless nights of worrying about Akari while he was kidnapped he understood the horror of the prospect of losing your child. Just thinking about it made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Please, there has to be something!"

He heard a knock on the door and was glad to have an excuse to end the conversation without insulting the woman- "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that we're going to have to go. Have a good evening."

"Thanks, you too."

No one was there. "Hmm, must have just been some kids down the street…" He muttered to himself.

Tea walked up to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You really should to to sleep. Seeings things isn't good. Maybe the Pharaoh can help."

Yugi nodded. "You're right."

"I'll go tell everyone that you're everyone that you're going to bed."

_ "You made a wish Yugi Mutou. One. Small. Wish." the voice whispered into the darkness. "You made a wish one day when you were still a child. Tell me Yugi Mutou, Did it come true?"

Yugi woke up with a start and found himself in his soul room for the first time in years. He had so many questions, but the only that he dared voice was, "Who are you?".

The voice was silent again for a brief moment, and then it spoke. "It is not I who matters now, child. Tell me Yugi Mutou, did your wish come true?"

Without a moment's hesitation he said, "Yes," with true conviction. "I wished for friends, and shortly after I met Joey, Tristan, Tea, the Pharaoh and the others." When he pushed the last piece of the puzzle into it's rightful place he had remembered his grandfather's stories. The one who was worthy of possessing the Millennium puzzle would have one wish granted. At that point in his life he was alone. His small size, wild hair, and lack of athletic prowess made him the target for bullies and ensured that he was excluded from the other kid's games-sometimes Tea would play with him, but she still spent most of her time at school with other girls, leaving him to his own devices. For the most part he had convinced himself that he was content with the way things were, but sometimes he'd find himself lying awake in the dead of night overwhelmed by his own dread and loneliness. So when he was given the opportunity to make a wish he wished for neither money nor fame, he wished for something that he considered far more valuable- _friends._

"Your wish was granted as payment for the trials that you would face ahead. Now that you have failed we hereby revoke your gift!"

Panic clawed at Yugi's stomach and throat. "No, please! I'll make everything right, please no!"

"Now now Yugi, it's not like you to throw a temper tantrum. It is time to see just how weak you are without your friends!" The voice slowly morphed into Bakura's and Yugi found himself pounding on the wall where the door to his soul room should have been.

"No!" Yugi woke with a start. He could feel his chest heaving as he sat up in bed and looked around, eyes searching for the source of the mysterious voice. It was dark so he couldn't see, but his hands frantically reached for his wife. He didn't want to wake her, but he needed to know that she was there. He could almost cry from relief when he felt her warm body slowly rising and falling underneath the quilt. "It was just a nightmare," he whispered. "That's all it was, a nightmare." Gently, so as not to disturb his wife, he climbed out of bed and headed downstairs for some tea. There was no way that he could possibly sleep after that.

He sank into the couch with his cup of tea in hand and sighed in relief. Something about the steaming cup in his hands was comforting, which Yugi was immensely grateful for. It was his first nightmare in years. He supposed that his nightmares were a normal reaction to what had just happened, but still. He heart began to pound as he thought about what he had seen. That dream seemed so real, and then there was Bakura. If the Pharaoh could manipulate dreams, why not Bakura? Could he gain that ability through his ability to manipulate the shadows? He had just touched the cup to his lips when he saw another streak of black blur past him. He nearly dropped the cup. After a calming breath he raised the cup to his lips with shaking hands. It's not real, he reminded himself yet again.

 _He is weak after your latest conflict. Rest with ease._ The Pharaoh whispered to Yugi. Closing his eyes, he took a sip and tried to relax, pleasantly surprised that it did not take nearly as much effort as he thought after the first sip. As he began to relax he could feel his eyelids slowly trying to close, so he put the cup aside and closed his eyes with the hope of pleasant dreams to erase the memory of the nightmare that had woken him that night.

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

That night Bakura found himself furiously scratching on paper in another motel at 4 am. He didn't know how to write in his previous life, but he had since learned and he marveled at how useful it was for planning.

So it seemed that Yugi had yet again managed to secure divine intervention. He cursed the man under his breath. He had proven to more of a thorn in his side than he had originally thought. With that damned pharaoh out of the way Yugi should have been the easiest to get out of the way. But somehow he not only had the most incredible luck that Bakura had ever seen, the man had also developed a spine. Summoning the Servants of a god? Daring to make his ka manifest? Daring to stand against him even after his friends had fallen. A smirk found its way onto his face without even realizing it. Yugi was so much more interesting now. Lately he had discovered that he rather enjoyed playing with his food before he ate it. While their most recent clash had been annoying it was hardly a setback. Yes it was true that he needed rest for now, but he would not need to be out of the game for long. As it was he already had one plan in motion.

He was no fool-somehow the power of the items would need to be united to defeat him, so he had to act swiftly. He already had some rather interesting plans for his dear old friends. All he needed was to take away one link to break the chain. They were already missing one item thanks to Bakura's quick thinking, so if he took another item they would be that much weaker.

The new girl seemed like the easiest prey. She was obviously still wet behind the ears because she was the slowest and clumsiest to act. This time he smiled his first genuine smile in weeks. Fresh blood was already such a treat.

Author's Note:

The past few chapters have been a little slow, but I promise that it will pick up in the next chapter. I have a feeling that the next few will probably be a little bit longer than this one (which is about 10 pages). I feel bad for poor Yugi, don't you? He just can't seem to catch a break.

-TheEagerScribbler


	21. Time is the enemy

Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm sorry for the gap between updates. I struggled with this one, but I think that it didn't come out too badly. This is one of Aiko's two big chapters (the second will be chapter 22). I hope you enjoy it!

 _Warning **:**_ This chapter contains one swear word (not the F word) towards the end. I know that some readers might be uncomfortable with swearing, so here's your heads up. I don't have my character swear often, but there are some situations when I honestly believe that would be their reaction. Thanks for understanding.

 _Announcement_ : The first outtake has been posted. It's from Ryou Bakura's pov. Please check it out if you're interested in hearing what's been happening to him during all this.

Thanks to YamiMayonaka and angiembabe for your reviews. Your continued support means a lot!

Note: Kemet means Egypt.

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 21: Time is the Enemy

Aiko's pov:

Tick. . Tock. Aiko found herself listening to the ticking of her watch as she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. Her friends thought that she was old fashioned because nobody wore watches anymore. Why get a watch when you could just check your phone? Usually Aiko just shrugged and said that most successful people still wore watches, including Seto Kaiba. Besides, she really liked the whole retro look. Today however, she just wanted to smash her watch into pieces. For some reason she felt like time was the enemy. There was never enough time, and now she could sense that it was finally running out. Each passing day was a progressing countdown until the situation finally exploded.

Things had been eerily peaceful in the days since Mr. Muto's release from the hospital. They hadn't heard so much as a whisper from Bakura, who they knew was always watching. The others didn't seem to dwell on this fact the way that she did, although everyone was still on edge. According to Joey there was no point dwelling on it because there wasn't much they could do about it, but couldn't they act a bit more worried? The worst part was that no one could ever know that these thoughts were running through her head. The others would dismiss her as a child despite her being eighteen, and she was sure that her family and friends would think that she had gone insane. Duel Monsters coming to life? A mad man who used magic to steal souls? Sometimes she even questioned her own sanity. The ever present fear only increased because Aiko knew that something had to give. This peace couldn't last for much longer. As they recovered from their wounds Bakura was plotting, and whether they were ready or not he would make a move very soon.

Aiko suddenly felt chilled. She rolled over onto her side to face the window. Had she left it open without realizing it? She heard something move. Without even thinking about it her hands flew to her item.

She peeked out the window and saw a squirrel in the tree right outside of her window that was making the leaves rustle. She gave a little chuckle. Now she was just being ridiculous. There was nothing there...except there was. She heard it before she saw it. Aiko jumped off of the bed and raised her item, eyes darting from side to side attempting to find the source of the noise. It was almost moving faster than her eyes could track it, so all she could see was a shadowy blur until it paused and stared at her. The thing that was in her room was a shadow that took the form of a monster that she had never seen before. It was tall but slender, and had large menacing claws and teeth that she just knew were razor sharp.

Aiko instinctively knew that it was going to attack her if she didn't move, so she raised her item and said, "Did you really think that you can take me without a fight? You've been tainted by Bakura-you're no longer pure if you ever were, so I'll seal you in the shadow realm where you belong!" The monster disappeared but the threat was not gone. She knew that the monster probably couldn't understand her, but there was no doubt in her mind that Bakura was listening in. She could hardly believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. She had been accused of having a large vocabulary in the past, but she didn't talk like that. A rush of adrenaline made her feel powerful, like she could take on Bakura himself.

"So you've finally found your claws kitty kat." A voice hissed from nowhere. Her first instinct was to run. Despite how she felt she knew that she couldn't face him on her own, so she used the only other course of action available to her. She instantly climbed the window. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that something had brushed against her leg.

As quickly as she could manage she scrambled down the tree and ran towards the nearest item holder. She didn't know where Joey lived, and the Ishtars were probably with Yugi, who lived farther away than she was comfortable with at the moment, so she she ran to the closest place that she could think of-Kaiba Corporation. Even if he got her surely the cameras would catch something and they would know the truth.

There were no footsteps to be heard, no heavy breathing, no taunting, nothing. Aiko had no way of tracking the presence of the man who was stalking her. She summoned a monster. "Alexandrite Dragon! Buy me some time." The monster nodded and began to hover over her. Around her people were going about their business. As scared as she was, she couldn't help but wonder why nobody seemed to notice that there was a huge dragon flying over the city. Every shadow was dangerous and every alley was a trap. Running straight through the city might make her more visible, but it also made him more visible. He couldn't hide in the shadows anymore than she could. It was a calculated risk on her part, but a necessary one. The enemy that she could see was preferable to the one that she could not.

Aiko couldn't take any of her short cuts, so getting to Kaiba Corporation was taking longer than she thought. It was a good thing that she followed a very strict regimen. She had read in a rare interview with Seto Kaiba that he followed a strict fitness regimen because a physical fitness was too easy to neglect in his business. He even attributed it to his success because it helped him to maintain a healthy mind. From that moment on she adopted a similar routine.

She was grateful for it now because slowing down wasn't an option. She pushed her body to run even faster. Maybe if she made it to the door she'd be safe. He wouldn't dare try something there. There were endless blurs of bewildered children and puzzled adults and shouts of "Hey, watch where you going!" That she hardly registered. "Focus," she muttered to herself. "You can do this. You can make it!" The building was insight and she had never been so grateful to the see the skyscraper that had become such a symbolic figure in her town. If it was anything it was the King's Palace. This was where the Kaiba brothers presided over the rest of Domino.

Her heart started hammering further because she was almost certain that there was no way that silence that she had been hearing was good. "Just a little farther…." She wheezed.

Even though her legs started to ache she didn't stop. She began shouting at the cameras. "He's following me Seto! If someone's watching this, get Seto or Mokuba! Please you've got to!" A loud crack resounded and Aiko looked up. Someone had shot the camera. She looked down again, and there was Bakura leaning against a lamp post at the edge of the property. "I've known the others for years. I had expected them to be predictable. But you...I expected better." He paused for a moment. "Or maybe I shouldn't. Somewhere deep inside of you that refuse to acknowledge you're _her_ , the one responsible for ruining my plans."

She had to stall. If she could hold on for just a little longer someone might see her."I don't know why everyone keeps saying that! I'm not _her_ anymore than Seto Kaiba is a priest! The only lives we have are the one that we are living. I don't know what comes after this, and but one chance is all we've got! If this whole reincarnation thing is real, then why are Yugi and the Pharaoh different people?"

"You remind me of an old friend that I imagine will be joining us shortly. That's what you're stalling for isn't it? You're hoping that your knight in shining armor will come rescue you?"

She scoffed at 'night in shining armor'. "Let me tell you something sweetheart, denying your past will only prolong the inevitable. You, I believe that a certain CEO tried that. It didn't end well," he smirked. Aiko realized that he must have been referring to the story that he had told her about ancient Egypt. "Reincarnation doesn't have to mean the whole souls. Sometimes something happens that causes a part of the soul to linger as spirits. e

"You're reaching." She accused. "I can see right through you. You're all trying to dupe us into believing in your reincarnation fairy tale so that you can manipulate us. Well here's a newsflash: it won't work."

"Interesting...so not everyone has sided with Yugi." He muttered. He lowered his weapon. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. It was like he was trying to figure her out, trying to calculate a different way to get to her. He thought that this was something that he could use against her. "If you join me I'll spare you, and since I'm feeling particularly generous I'll even consider giving your parents a place in the world order."

Aiko opened her mouth, but Bakura cut her off before she could begin. "If I were you I'd think about this _very_ carefully. The Path that Yugi is on will inevitably lead to his downfall. In order to purify the world it must be reborn again, and whether you are destroyed too depends entirely on you. You're like me. You were despised and feared because of what you were born as. They despised you, forced you beg and flee because they feared your power, and then they 'rescued' you so that they could manipulate you. Tell me, you've been drafted into a war that you had nothing to do with. Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that they are not using you now?"

She reached for something witty to say, or for the conviction that she had thought that she had for her cause, but she didn't have anything to say to that. For the first time it crossed her mind that that what he said about being might be true. They didn't give her any option. They just told her that she had to fight because fate wanted her to. Wasn't she a woman in charge of her own destiny? Still, she had to say something, so she imitated just about every bad action movie that she had been forced to watch with her friends. "Go to hell!" She spat!

"Is that truly the best insult you've got? I've spent the past two decades in the shadow realm. Hell is nothing in comparison!"

A horn honked and then a pair of hands came out of nowhere and grabbed her, forcing her into the car."Break the sound barrier Roland!" Mokuba commanded.

"Yes Young Master Kaiba!" The now graying man hit the gas and they were flying down the street so fast that Aiko wondered if they might actually break the sound barrier. That she suddenly went from being outside to inside of a car that was obviously speeding was a little disorienting.

"How did you know?" Aiko looked at both of the Kaiba brothers. Seto was typing away at his laptop, and Mokuba was scanning her up and down.

Mokuba ignored her question. "Hey, are you okay?"

She waved off his concern. "Yeah, I'm fine. But seriously, how?"

"That's easy. You were smart, running up to our cameras. You only saw the most obvious ones, but there are three others in that part of the parking lot that were hidden. One of our security guards saw you and alerted us, so we formulated a plan to get you out of there before it became a shadow were hoping that he would reveal a bit more of his plan before we picked you up, but we could tell from your body language that one of you was about to say something to escalate the incident."

"I could have taken him," she lied, not wanting to seem weak in front of her idol. "I'm about the same age as Mr. Kaiba when he beat him."

Kaiba put down his laptop and scowled. "It was not a singular effort on any one person's part, and I was a unique case. Yugi, the Pharaoh, and I are all masters at strategy, so it was different for us. We had a 5,000 year old spirit and my training under Gozaburo to keep us from getting ourselves killed. You can't simply confront him without a plan unless you have a death wish."

Was it her or did the car just get exponentially warmer? She could feel her cheeks become tinged with red, but she still tried to keep her cool. "You have a point. I actually did come here...uh...to Kaiba Corporation for a reason. I knew you had to have cameras that would alert you to what was going on. I could probably handle his monster on his own, but Bakura's a force to be reckoned with. Once I saw him I knew that I had to get away." She paused and looked down at her arms, which were covered in scratches and bruises under sleeves from where the force of an attack had thrown her to the ground. She had even dislocated her shoulder, but considering how badly she could have been hurt she had come out lightly. "I was _there_ too, you know," she said quietly. "I know you must think that I'm naive, but I've seen what he can do. If all of us together can just barely escape with our lives, how is just one of us going to be able to be able to survive any sort of conflict with him?"

Seto Kaiba stopped and observed for a moment, with similar calculating look to Bakura's and reached one hand to his deck.

"I'm going to tell you something that you must _never_ repeat." He stopped and waited expectantly.

Aiko nodded. "I swear that I won't tell anyone."

He nodded and reached for his deck. Mokuba's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" He asked in awe.

"If all of this hocus pocus stuff is real," he briefly scowled before returning to the same neutral expression that he wore much of the time (at least around her), "Then this is hers by right. He held up the card.

"That's the….I can't possibly-"she started.

"Take it. I have…" He scowled again. Why did he keep scowling like that? Was he only offering because someone had goaded him into it. "I have three others. This was a gift from Pegasus. Years ago he saw that I wanted a fourth blue eyes and gave me this. It was an apology for our previous meetings."

She hesitated. "Please don't feel like you have to. I'll be fine without it."

"Just take the damn card!" He growled a little too loudly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mokuba elbowing him. "Just take it." He said more calmly this time.

This time she did as he asked and reached for the card. For some reason she felt as though the moment should be approached with reverence. It was more than just Seto Kaiba's most prized card. In some ways it felt alive. Energy pulsed from the card when she touched it, and if she listened hard enough, she could swear that she heard a roar. Something felt right about holding it in her hands. The subtle glow that it gave off for the first few seconds of holding it seemed to confirm her thoughts.

Mokuba watched the whole moment in awe, although whether it was because of what she was experiencing or because his brother just gave away his prized blue eyes card she wasn't sure."Yugi always talks about the heart of the cards. At first I was skeptical, but now I'm inclined to believe him. I think that your heart is in that card. Maybe it's meant to be yours."

Aiko was only half listening as she gently ran her fingers over the surface."It feels like an old friend," she murmured. "I feel like I know her." As much as she had struggled to believe that reincarnation existed and the she was connected to that girl, she couldn't deny it any longer. She felt like she knew her through this card. "Kisara... That was her name, right? Was she really the Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

Mokuba had only faith in his brother to go on, but Seto had been there, so he was the one who answered the question. "Yes. Her spirit could be made manifest into the shape of the Blue Eyes. She looked just like you too."

Aiko stared hard at the card, trying to picture the girl that became the dragon. What was she like? Was she just like her, or were they different people with the same face? At one point this card had been a living, breathing, human being. "Can you tell me about her? If you know anything, I mean. I know that it's been a long time, but anything would help."

"From what I was able to gather, she was feared because of her exotic appearance and the fact that she could turn into such a powerful creature. She was protected by Priest Seto, and ultimately sacrificed her life to protect his, permanently turning into The Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"So that's why she feels so protective. It's almost like she's reaching out to us-she's still trying to protect us."

Suddenly something shifted about Seto Kaiba's demeanor. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't right. Mokuba tensed, but remained silent. So it wasn't just her being paranoid. He somehow always managed to look almost regal, but now you would think that he was a king. He sat tall and confident and stared at her with piercing eyes she could almost remember seeing before. "She is a part of you, Kisara. A small part of you will always remain connected through time and space, and even when you were reborn a part of you remained as that most noble dragon. Now that you are together you will have power possessed by only a few strong souls. Use it well, for soon you must return to Kemet, and if you do not take caution you will all fall." That wasn't Seto Kaiba speaking. The speech wasn't quite right, and called her Kisara.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Do you not recognize me in this form? My cousin says that we look remarkably alike."

She remembered things that she had no logical reason to have memories of. She remembered a man with blue eyes dressed in fine clothing with gold ornaments reaching out to her. The hair was different, and skin was more tanned, but the face was the same. Something about him made her heart skip a beat. He was important for reasons other than his position, but she couldn't remember why. "I remember, Priest Seto! But...how?"

"As spirits we are allowed to play a limited role. Despite what my reincarnation will have you think, I do not actually reside here. My true place of residence is in the other realm, the afterlife, I suppose you'd call it, but I have been allowed to become a little more involved than my cousin because he has been forced to endure far more than his fair share here among the living during the years he remained in waiting. It is true that I spend a great deal of time here, but it is only because my descendant is as obstinate as an ox. Even so, I had to speak with you. Destiny is a great and terrible thing, but you are not alone in this. Without a doubt you are the most courageous woman that I have ever met."

"If you're finished, can my brother have his body back?"

His eyes narrowed, and Mokuba shifted to get a better look at him. He was obviously tense now-whether he was anticipating the worst or waiting for the spirit to leave. "Perhaps I should maintain control to do what is necessary." So there it was.

The idea of the Priest possessing Seto Kaiba was not as alarming as it was to Mokuba because she knew that he really was not going to do it. He wasn't a bad person, he just believed that he had a duty to help somehow and this seemed like the best way to do it. All they needed to do was speak to him in a language that he understood.

"Please don't, Pharaoh,"

"You may call me Seto or Priest Seto-that was the name that you knew me by. I was only Pharaoh for a short while before my death, and although I carry the blood of Pharoah's I remain my cousins devoted servant." Mokuba's jaw dropped. The resemblance between Seto and him was uncanny, but this completely shattered that image. The Seto that he knew would never give up that sort of power or allow someone else to hold that sort of power over him. Why would a King not want to be remembered as a King?

She had to make them understand that simply because he did not rule by divine right did not mean that he wasn't important. As a person of high status Priest Seto must have always been assured that he was in the right, but being royal doesn't always equate to being right, but how did one go about getting someone like him to see it? "Alright then, Priest Seto, Please give Mr. Kaiba his body back. He has obligations and responsibilities that he needs to be able to fulfill. I know that you're frustrated, but by resisting you he thinks that he's fulfilling his duty because In our time thinking for ourselves is a necessary skill in order to make the best decision. We are taught that blindly trusting what people tells us with get us into a whole trouble. If you talk to him and explain your reasoning, he might come around!" She pleaded, "So please give him his body back. The world is a different place than it was millennia ago and I can't think of anybody better at navigating it than these two! They're the ones who _really_ rule Domino City."

"Very well then." In a matter of moments Seto transformed into his old self.

"So what did he say?"

"He told me that I really am Kisara reincarnated, and he told me that I should take the Blue Eyes White Dragon to Egypt."

"That was all?" He scowled. Mokuba and Kisara looked at each other questioningly. Was it really a good idea to tell him that the spirit considered taking over his body. "Don't lie to me Mokuba," he warned, 'Secrets could get us killed."

"He might have briefly considered taking over your body."

The expression that crossed Mr. Kaiba's face was nothing short of terrifying. His smirk still remained on his face, but there was something different about it and the cold gleam in his eyes. It hinted at ruthlessness and cruelty that she had never believed him capable of. She had seen him angry, but she had never seen him livid before. It was a terrifying sight to behold. "But it's okay! Kisara talked him out of doing it by explaining how important you and explaining ordering you to do things isn't going to cut it."

He turned to Aiko. 'He didn't trying anything did he?"

It took her a moment to fully recover her speech. "No sir. He seemed to genuinely think that he was helping.

"Just what we need-a well meaning spirit living in my head."

She wondered if it would be a good idea to explain what he told her about why he bugged Mr. Kaiba so often. "Actually sir, he says that he lives in 'the other world', and that he spends so much time here because, well…"

"Get on with it!" He snapped.

"Well sir, he feels like you aren't listening to him," she squeaked.

"He has no right-"

The Driver stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. "Mister Kaiba sir, we have a problem."

"What is it Roland?"

"It's happening again sir. There's a giant serpentine creature in the middle of the road. I uh, don't know how else to describe it." Diabound. He had found her.

"Shit." He swore under his breath.

"Akari, Mokuba, Roland, Stay here and keep the doors locked. I'll handle this," he ordered.

"What if he blows the car up sir? Or smashes it? If they're as real now as they were then, you might be in even more danger inside the vehicle."

"Roland's right Seto," Mokuba said. "Besides, all three of us have items and we can duel. We'll be okay."

"Your brother's right Mr. Kaiba. We have a chance when we're all together. Besides, I think I know what it wants."

"Well he's not getting it. Let's go kid." They moved to get out the vehicle as quickly as they could and then started running.

"Where?"

"Where do you think?" Mr. Mutou's home had been their base, so he must have been referring to that. It was a good thing that nearly every kid in Domino knew where the game shop was.

"Right." She said.

A hand snaked around her waist and pulled her to the side. "Where you think you're going? Did you rethink my proposition?"

"My answer's the same as last time," she spat. "You've tortured my friends and want to destroy the world. Why on Earth would I join you? You've been trying to kill me ever since this thing showed up!" She grabbed the item out of her tote bag and held it in front of defensively, wishing that it looked more threatening.

"Do you even know what you're supposed to do with that thing?"

When she didn't answer he just laughed. "I see I'm correct. You lot are so much easier than you were twenty years ago. You're older, more feeble, and wouldn't be able to use your items properly if they came with instruction manuals. If you truly think you're strong enough, prove it. I challenge you to a shadow game!" The wicked, creepy expression was back. "Brace yourself."

* * *

Yugi's Pov:

They had had one week of peaceful bliss, but Yugi was unable to relax fully because the shadows never went away. Yugi and Tea kept the house brightly lit at all times, which helped a little, but they never fully went away. Their power bill would be outrageous, but at least they would be safe. They had never let their guard down. He had half expected Tea to think that he was just paranoid, but as always she had his back.

Today was Friday, which meant only one thing...it was family game night at the Muto house. It was a night in which only Yugi, Tea, Akari, and Grandpa, Yugi remembered sadly, would participate unless one of the grandparents made a rare trip to visit them. Hey considered the others to be his family but Tea and Yugi agreed that every once in awhile Akari needed her parents all to herself (whether she liked it or no). It they met with friends that day family game day was postponed until Sunday or after dinner one day during the week. It couldn't officially begin until Tea got home from work, but there was no harm in playing something as they waited.

"So Dad, I went through the old storage closet and found these!" She held up dungeon dice monsters and capsule monsters. "I don't think we've ever played them before, why don't we play one."

He had honestly forgotten that they owned either of those games. They must have been ancient! He didn't have fond memories of either of those games, but he supposed that he could get through a game or two for Akari. "I beat the creator at the game on my first try, you know. Don't think that I'm going to go easy on you because you're my daughter!" For the first time in a long time Yugi smirked in a way that, if he had looked in a mirror, would have reminded himself of the Pharaoh right before he was about to prove someone wrong.

Akari's posture changed too. She looked confident, like a leader. Yugi noted that his daughter had risen in determination. The person facing him with such confidence and determination wasn't his little girl, it was young woman who was about to usurp his position of the master gamer. Perhaps tonight was the night that the student would finally surpass the teacher. "You're the one who needs me to go easy on you, not the other way around. You might be the King of Duel Monsters, but gaming is what I'm best at. For once I'm going to be you, Dad. Just watch me!"

Yugi picked up the dice and began to make his first roll when he heard quick, delicate footsteps enter the shop. "Hi Tea!"

Tea threw her arms around him a little too tightly. "You're alright! I was so worried about you!" To be honest, he had been just as worried about her. She wasn't a duelist, she didn't have an item, and she didn't know much about self defense either. Joey and Tristan had taught her to throw a punch or two, but she never really took to it. "I'm a dancer, not a delinquent," she explained when she declined further lesson.

"Everything's fine over here, I promise." Yugi tried to be reassuring, but it somehow fell flat. Tea was clearly not the least bit comforted by his remark. He wouldn't have been either, so he couldn't blame her.

"Something's wrong Yugi," she whispered, "I thought that I saw a shadow game somewhere in this part of town. The sky was purple over this part, and I thought...I thought that you had been attacked, or worse! I tried to tell myself that I was just imagining things, but it I've never seen a thunderstorm do that!"

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

"I'm trusting my instincts, so yes."

He nodded in understanding. "What do we do now?"

She handed Yugi his deck, which had been sitting on the kitchen counter right next to the bills. "What we always do-we see what we can do to help." She took out her phone and pulled up her contacts list. She started with Aiko, who was at the very top. Tea's grip on the phone tightened more and more as the phone continued to ring, until her knuckle began to turn white. Yugi was almost afraid that she'd break it. She eventually hit voicemail. Yugi and Tea looked at each other. Both of them were thinking the same thing- It just made sense that he would target her. She was by far the youngest and more inexperienced, making her the weakest link in Bakura's eyes. If Yugi were Bakura he'd target her too. He was only surprised that he hadn't done it sooner.

"Let's go."

Yugi and Tea followed the strange shadowy purple clouds in the sky until the purple fog became nearly too intense to see. If he allowed himself to unfocus his eyes for a minute he could see strange duel-monster like creatures. Some were shrouded in shadows, and some were shadows. Somehow this game felt different from the others, even from the outside. He recognized it for what it was almost immediately. It was a scare tactic. He never bothered trying it with the others because he knew that they wouldn't allow it to intimidate them. Aiko had never directly opposed him before, so he was using that to his advantage. If he could just throw her off her game her soul would be his, and so would her item.

They almost couldn't see Aiko through the fog, but they could hear her perfectly. Gone was the trembling girl that they had first met. She was doing an admirable job of standing her ground, and Bakura did not sound pleased.

"Aiko!" Tea screamed.

Yugi put a hand on her shoulder. "She can't hear us."

"We tried to end the game, but we couldn't," Mokuba said from behind them. Yugi jumped a little bit and turned around to face Seto and Mokuba.

"What happened?"

"We helped her get away, but he tracked us and stopped us in the middle of the road with Diabound." He said simply. "There isn't anything that we can do."

"There is one thing that we can do. We can have faith in her." Tea said.

Seto scowled. "Don't look at us like that. The faith that my friends had in me kept my soul from being erased during my first shadow game. I was too weak to withstand the shadow realm for a prolonged period of time, but they essentially willed my soul back existence. I think that's the key to shadow magic and using your item. You have to truly want something and then focus your energy on bringing it into being. That's why we were all able to use our items with little training."

"You've been holding back on us," he accused.

Yugi could see that his old friend felt betrayed because he thought that he was keeping secrets. "Of course not! I only just figured it out. I never really understood how my puzzle worked. I just understood that it did. When I went to summon my Ka I didn't really know what I was doing. I just wanted it and then kind of reached out to it."

"Can you two save the arguing for when we get back home? I'm trying to hear what's going on!" Tea hissed. Yugi smiled apologetically and reached for her hand. Kaiba looked towards the swirling mists and began to watch the display of power occurring right in front of them intently. Bakura had chosen such a visible location on purpose, and Yugi knew that Seto was thinking along those same lines. He

"Surrender little girl, you're out of your league!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You're the one who's going to surrender. It's only a matter time. Six against one really are terrible odds for someone in your position, even with _him_ on your side. You have an evil spirit? We have a Pharaoh-depending on who you ask he's a god." Yugi wondered what the Pharaoh would say if he heard that. "If what Yugi tells me is true, the Egyptian gods are on our side too. We won't lose because to lose would be to go against the working of the universe. If you were truly meant to win it would have happened already. If anyone should give up it's you!"

"Be silent! You have absolutely no idea of the power that I am about to unleash!" He hissed.

"The Egyptian Gods also helped us. They want us to win! You're going against the workings of the universe, but we're working with it. Tell me, who do you think is going to win? It's like working against gravity! You're the one who has no idea what you're dealing with."

The ground started to shake and they heard a deep rumbling noise. Through the mist Yugi and Tea could see something rise from the ground. "If you think that you can win fine. Just step through the looking glass little girl, I think you'll be surprised. People are such good liars, especially when it comes to themselves."

The girl slowly disappeared, and the others were left to wonder what lied beyond the mirror.

Author's Note#2:

Hi guys! Once I was able to get past the first few pages the rest just seemed to pour out. Aiko is one of the characters that I had wanted to explore but have had little opportunity to do so because most of this story is told from Yugi's pov. She is brave, but scared, and she's intelligent and ambitious, but she's still young. Her diction took me a little while to figure out. Hopefully I did her justice.

Thanks for sticking with me so far. I think you're going to like the next chapter. These shadow game chapters are always challenging but very fun to write. When I go back and re-read what I've already written they tend to be some of my favorites. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think through a review!

-The Eager Scribbler


	22. The girl and the dragon

Author's Note: Hi guys! I was unable to finish this chapter sooner because my time to write was pretty limited in May and the end of April because of projects and exams, writer's block, losing a part of this chapter, and difficulty uploading. I hope that you guys can forgive the ridiculous wait and any formatting issues. I had to submit by using the copy-n-paste method and I don't know what it will do to my formatting.

 ** _Thanks:_** Thanks to Yami Mayonaka,angiembabe, and lalalei. Your support is encouraging and helps me to find the motivation to get through particularly difficult chapters. Also, thanks to Draco'sfairmaiden for being my first set of eyes and my sounding board for new ideas.

-TheEagerScribbler

 ** _The Story so far:_** It's been twenty years since the Pharaoh has returned to the afterlife and life has moved on without him. When the spirit of the millennium ring returns and is ready to finish what he started Yugi and his friends are ready to do whatever it takes to defeat him and save the world, even if it means sacrificing everything that they hold dear. Yugi has survived a gunshot wound, the kidnapping and rescue of his daughter, a robbery, a penalty game, a shadow game, and a battle, and now he must watch his least experienced ally face the shadows. In order to defeat the spirit of the millennium ring each item holder must face their demons in a penalty game and she is no exception. Will Aiko, the reincarnation of Kisara, walk away from the shadow game with her soul?

Chapter 22: The girl and the dragon

 _Ryou's pov_ :

Ryou immediately tensed up and leaned towards the large television screen in his soul room. He had seen everything that went on while his Yami was in control but he was trapped inside the millennium ring. Not being able to come to his friend's aid when he knew every plan and watched every move that the spirit had made. In a way it was just like before, only this time he understood what was happening to himself. When he first received the ring as a gift from his father he had been told that a spirit was attached to the item and Ryou was foolish enough to be pleased. There was something thrilling about studying the occult, and to have real proof of its existence was more than he had ever hoped for. He had expected to meet the ghost of some nobleman in the Pharaoh's court, someone who had seen things that archaeologists could only put together using fragments of writing, objects, and their best predictions of how it all connected. He was disappointed at first when no ghost appeared. Instead it seemed that his bad luck only increased, but none of it ever seemed to anything particularly unusual-he was often guilty of losing himself in his own little world and getting lost, so suddenly finding himself in odd locations was annoying, but not entirely unlikely. One night he suddenly found himself standing in front of the bathroom sink with blood spatters all over himself and a knife in one hand and he came to the disturbing realization that there was indeed a spirit living in the ring, and that the spirit was a monster.

Once he became aware of the spirit's presence they could communicate. Sometimes he would accidentally receive fragments of the spirit's thoughts and he was struck by their sadistic nature. Most of the time he was the devil on shoulder. _Strike first_ , the spirit would whisper when Bakura ran across a bully. _I will no suffer a weak host!_ Other times he would urge him to lie his way out of trouble or steal objects that he desired. When Ryou refused he would rage. _Why are you incapable of completing even the simplest task? There is nothing to lying, and people these days are so oblivious that you could hit them with a rock and they would hardly notice!_ As time went Ryou would often be yanked into his soul room with little warning. He was forced to sit and wait knowing that the spirit wanted his friend's puzzle and he would do anything to get it. That was a dangerous position to be in because the spirit was clever, determined, and sadist-a deadly combination. Further, he cared little for Bakura's physical well being and had no qualms about running his body into the ground. He would wake up with cuts, bruises, broken bones, and threats against Bakura and his friends if he did not comply.

This time things were even worse. He was a force of nature, and his powers had grown far beyond Ryou's understanding. Ryou was now imprisoned in the millennium ring with little reprieve. At times he managed to steal a few minutes there and there, but never more than ten minutes went by before power was wrestled away from him again. It was never enough time to stop the unspeakable things that were done using his name and his body. Kidnapping young girls, plotting Yugi's death, the torture of underlings who failed to carry out orders were on the list of sins that weighed on Ryou's conscience.

Now Ryou was watching him force a teenage girl to participate in one of his twisted games. He seemed to have some special vendetta against her. They had all been children when it all began, but watching him torment a kid because she happened to have some connection to the ancient past was even more difficult than watching his friends struggle. At least they had the skill and the experience to make it out okay, she had nothing but dumb luck and an item that she hardly knew anything about. She was exactly the sort of person that he had dedicated his entire adult life to protecting. Despite her seemingly timid nature she put on a good act. When she postured she reminded him a lot of someone that he knew.

"Let me guess, you're going to copy some bad horror film. Is that seriously the best you can come up with?" She spat. "I've got news for you-If someone like you had tried to pitch this for my last video game it would have gone in the trash where this stupid plan of yours belongs."

He could almost feel the spirit's amusement. "We'll see little Alice." Had he actually been paying attention to Bakura's reading habits all those years ago? The girl walked through the mirror and Bakura stepped in as well, and began to watch her on a security monitor that had manifested in the corner. She was in a town similar to Domino, but there were things lurking there that could never be found in Domino. Had his powers grown so much that he could create such a powerful illusion? The Spirit sensed Ryou's thoughts and smirked, "It's much more than that. I've recreated a world, _her_ world."

"But why? Couldn't you have done something a little less complicated?"

"These are the images formed by the shadows within her, I merely facilitated the whole affair." He said dismissively. "That's the disappointing thing about these shadow games-the shadows do all of the work. But I have to say that I believe that this one will be most entertaining."

"Why? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, I'm merely forcing her to face herself. Take a look." Ryou looked at the monitor and saw her running after a little tabby cat until she bumped into a card soldier. The card was a blank, regular monster card, but she seemed to recognize its face. The card reached out a hand and helped her off the ground. "I'm so sorry Miss, I was just in a hurry to meet the queen."

"Ko?" She asked in confusion.

"I'm late to see the queen and you must join me but…" He trailed off in thought, "You won't be allowed to see the queen unless you prove that you're worthy of her."

"The queen?"

"Sorry, that's just the way things are," he shrugged. "I don't make the rules."

"You just break them," she murmured.

His face turned red and his eyes narrowed, "I don't know what you're talking about."

For a moment the pair remained silently staring at each other, both waiting for the other to move. The girl was deliberating her next move. Each shadow game created a binding contract and leaving was not an option. She may have wanted to run, but Ryou knew from experience that she could not avoid whatever the spirit had planned so she may as well get on with it before the shadow realm sapped away at her strength. Apparently she realized this too.

"What do I have to do?"

"Fight me."

She stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Am I never not?"

"All the time." She deadpanned. "If you're certain I need to do this…" she hesitated for a moment, but soon it was gone. Her eyes turned hard and her expression set. "I will. Tell me what I need to do."

"It's simple. You use your spirit-your ka to fight mine." The monster that appeared was not a duel monster. It was a green humanoid creature with shriveled green skin and claws as long as her whole hand from her middle finger to the edge of her wrist. It's teeth gleamed in the dim light as it flashed her a sinister grin. Ryou found himself wondering if the claws were as sharp as they looked.

"Oh no." She gasped. "Midori. But how…?"

The boy grinned wickedly. "He's yours isn't he? Figure it out."

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered. "How could you?" Betrayal was clear in her voice and it left Ryou wondering who he was to her.

Ko wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just doing my job."

Ryou was puzzled when he saw that the illusion created by the shadows actually seemed to display regret. "The shadows are projecting the face of someone she holds dear," The spirit said in response. "It's a perfect imitation."

"It's time Aiko!"

* * *

 _Aiko's pov:_

For the second time since Aiko received her item she had no idea what she was doing. There was so much wrong with her current situation that she couldn't be bothered to list all of them, but not knowing what she was doing was near the top somewhere between the knowledge that the only thing standing in the way of the apocalypse were seven ancient artifacts and a group of people only barely larger than a baseball team and the fact that her own creation wanted to kill her. Something wild and dangerous shone in the eyes of Midori and she knew that this was it-she was dead. The monster appeared at her side with one claw in the air poised to strike. She dove out of the way, but still took a swipe at her.

She cried out and clutched her arm. Its razor sharp claws cut deeply into her skin. Pain bloomed in her arm, but she had to work through it. There was no time to give into her pain. She needed to do something, but what? How was she supposed to summon her spirit? What if she couldn't? A doubtful voice in her thoughts whispered. What if she failed? Everybody seemed so sure that because she could turn into the Blue Eyes White Dragon in a past life that she could do it now, but what if she couldn't? Aiko couldn't deny some sort of connection to that girl's past, but she was still her own person, and she had never before shown sign of such an ability. Wouldn't she know by now if she had the ability to turn into a dragon? That was hardly something that she would forget about. She was no longer Kisara, she was Aiko.

As hard as she tried to come up with another solution she kept coming back to the blue-eyes. Maybe she really was crazy, but it was the only plan strong enough to hold up to Midori. Really it was laughable to think that her fate hinged on summoning a dragon. It maddening to think that the most ridiculous solution that she could come up with, which probably wouldn't even have worked was her only viable option. What else was there? Now all she had to figure out was how to do it. It shouldn't be too difficult right? An educated guess told her that it worked like the scales. She had to will it to happen.

Ok, in the meantime Aiko needed a plan. It was stupid to think that using her ka would help if she didn't have a plan. Coming up with a plan should be the easy part. She designed him. She knew his weaknesses inside and out. Midori liked to play with his food, which meant that she had a little time. His scales formed a type of armor that covered everywhere but his head, which was too strong to fracture without a seriously strong piece of steel, meaning that his only weak spot was his neck.

The monster lunged at Aiko again, and she was thrown backwards. His claws ripped through her more deeply than it did the first time and her side felt like it was on fire.

"Fight back dammit!" Ko yelled. "Fight back! You can't seriously be considering giving up so easily!"

Despair was replaced by desperation and the smallest glimmer of hope. She had to believe that she could do this. If she was really chosen by magic or some god that she did not even believe in, the spirit of the Blue Eyes rested within her. Aiko was anything but weak and she would not allow some criminal to end her life without a fight. However much the face that belonged to the person trying to kill her resembled her friend, it was not him. Bakura was the one who was really pulling the strings and she could not lose and risk taking the others down with her, so she had to do it now. If she didn't she'd be trapped there in the shadow realm until it consumed her. For the first time in her life she uttered a prayer despite knowing that it would fall on deaf ears. _Give me her strength._

Aiko summoned the strength and felt a rush of power rise within her. A strong wind came from nowhere that brought with it a blinding white light. When the dust and fog from the shadow realm settled the Blue Eyes White Dragon stood in front of her in all of its glory. Never before had Aiko felt so powerful.

She made eye contact with the Ko look alike. "I'm sorry-" she started.

"Do it," Ko urged. "Go on, I'll be fine. Just do it!"

Aiko nodded gave the dragon her orders. "White lightning attack!"

Midori disappeared and Ko fell to his knees. "Good job Sky," He praised her in a pained whisper.

Tears began to trickle down her cheek without her consent."You haven't called me that since we were little. Now stop making me cry, you're not even real. I'll see you as soon as this thing is over." If she survived it.

"Sure thing. Listen, I'll be fine anyway, but you have to be careful. The queen is the real challenge."

"What does she want from me?" She was too late. Ko dissolved before her eyes, leaving her alone in the shadow realm, her blue eyes watching her curiously. _What are you doing now?_ It seemed to say.

What was she even supposed to do with a creature that enormous? It would crush buildings and innocent bystanders if it did not go back to wherever it came from. "You can return now. Thanks for everything." It nodded and disappeared

Bakura must've had a twisted sense of humor because he had somehow managed to turn her world into a sort of wonderland. Each and every image in this city was designed by her and she knew it all like the back of her hand, yet something unfamiliar hung in the air. Now she was left alone in the eerily empty street with the shadows eating away at her nerves. If Ko wasn't the real task she wasn't sure if she could handle the 'real' challenge. No, she could do it, all she had to do was have confidence. Her friend Sarah used to always tell pretend to have confidence when she had none. "Fake it 'til you make it" actually seemed like good advice at the moment.

She needed to find the queen before the shadows began to get to her. "If I were queen where would I be…" she thought out loud. The Mayor was the highest authority in the town, so the queen must have occupied his manor. If Ko had been one of the cards then The Queen of Hearts had to be someone that she knew, but she was at a loss as to who it might be. Maybe it would be her mother, but that didn't seem right. She wasn't close to any of the aunts, so it couldn't be one of them. There was only one way to find out-meet the queen herself.

Aiko repeated the directions over and over again under her breath so she could not forget. The battle that she had just been in sapped away at her energy, and she imagined that blood loss and the shadow realm were already making things worse. The throbbing pain from her wounds did not go away despite that it all must have been some illusion. The pain still felt real. "Two lefts and a right and then I'll be there and this will all be over," she reassured herself. "I just need to make it until then." Could she? Aiko wasn't hit directly in the leg, but she suspected that she had sprained or broken something, so she limped down the sidewalk past run down buildings with bars on the windows and walls covered in graffiti. The bars were not a good sign. If Bakura had really stolen the world from her game then that meant that somewhere near by monsters were waiting for her.

What was she supposed to do now? Aiko was hardly in any condition to deal with a monster. Maybe could dodge it if she remembered exactly where she hid them. It occurred to her that it would be nearly impossible because they were programmed to appear at random. "Shoot!" she swore under her breath. As if to emphasize her point a tiny brown dog plopped down directly in front of her. "Double shoot!"

That was no ordinary dog. It was designed to draw players away from territory and was loosely based on a werewolf. It had the ability to shift into a massive wolf like beast with sharp fangs that could effortlessly rip through flesh and became even more deadly on a full moon when it's attack strength was enhanced. Aiko was hardly ready to deal with a such a massive pain in the neck but there was no way around it.

Aiko did her best to remember how to stop it. She designed the creature so she had the knowledge of how to defeat it, all she needed now was to remember the details...why couldn't she remember the details? Was it possible that she had too much information stored in her head about the game and for some stupid reason the very thing that she needed was what her brain chose to forget? Well, if all else failed she supposed that a blow to the neck would suffice.

Aiko knelt down, "Listen little guy, I'm not here to steal anything, I'm just trying to find the queen." she tried to say in a non threatening but confident way. To her surprise the dog didn't attack. It just gave a short yip and looked towards the road and then her, and then back to the road again.

"Do you want me to follow you?" She asked. The dog yipped again and then began to walk. "So you're my white rabbit...Does that mean I'm about to lose my head?"

She received no response, so she followed the dog to the queen, hoping that she could manage to hold herself together until it was all over one way or the other.

The path to the queen was a winding one filled with strange shadow creatures peeking around corners and within shadows. She shivered both from the cold and despair that were worming their way into her bones. Luckily none of the creatures of her own creation bothered her, although they too seemed to be watching. All of these creatures held the ability to rip her to shreds. Knowing that was intimidating, although she liked to pretend that she wasn't intimidated by anything. Her friends at school used to say that she'd sooner admit to committing a crime than admit that she was scared. What was the point of borrowing her own world for this? She wondered. Why did her go through the trouble to pluck all of this from her mind instead of finishing her off quickly? That's because he likes to play with his food before he eats it, she thought darkly.

The dog suddenly broke into a run and came to a skidding halt in front of a large brick building that was secured by a gate with two guards on either side of the entrance. Aiko would recognize the building anywhere-it was the mayor's house.

The dog yipped to the guards, who resembled the main character of the game. "What business do you have here?"

Aiko cleared her throat and tried to project confidence. "I've been told that the queen wants to speak to me."

They looked at each other. "Name?"

"Aiko."

"Do you know that name?" The soldier on the left side of the gate asked the soldier on the right. Aiko hoped that The Kaiba brothers had a better team than these two...whatever they were.

"I dunno. Hmm…" He narrowed his eyes in thought, "Now that I think about it, that name does sound familiar. Hey Danny, I think we should let 'em in. I think they're tell'n the truth."

"You know, I think you're right. She's the one. Let her in!" They opened the gate and walked up to the front door.

A man who looked like Seto Kaiba's body guard opened the door and bowed. "I see you've arrived on time. _She_ will see you now."

Jet black marble floors and creamy white walls made up the interior of the building. Everything was perfectly polished and she could see her own reflection. This was not her own design but she had to admit that it had an interesting effect. It was harsh and humbling all at once.

"Walk quickly please. We're wasting time," the man abruptly clipped. She picked up the pace.

He stopped outside of the door to the throne room and impatiently motioned for her to enter.

She opened the doors that led to her destiny with a hammering heart and breath caught in her chest.

Aiko walked up to the throne with her eyes glued to her feet and then knelt in front of the throne.

"You may rise," she said.

Aiko rose and looked up. She very nearly fell back to the ground in shock. Really she should have expected it, considering the nature of Bakura's shadow games, but she had been wrapped up in trying to survive that her was not operating at 100% efficiency. Aiko _was_ the queen, but she was dressed in half black and half white in a way that was reminiscent of something that she could not put her finger on.

"I have summoned you because your weakness is a liability. The others may tolerate your shortcomings but I won' you truly possess the courage than you may leave this place, but if you fail you will lose your head." Maybe she was wrong. The queen looked like her, but she didn't speak like that.

"What would you like me to do?"

"You're a gifted girl and have a great mind, but even a mind as sharp as yours is dulled by human weakness, so your must prove your worth by finding your way back here. Once you do you will be given the opportunity to earn your prize." With the snap of the queen's fingers their setting changed. Instead of the beautiful sitting room they were suddenly outside on the street. Each building had a deck and unmarked boxes littered the ground. In a way it reminded her of the platform style video games that were popular not so long ago when retro style games came back into vogue.

"You should have no trouble navigating this world if you are truly as knowledgeable as you claim you are. After all, this is your territory, is it not? If you have trouble even with this challenge, then perhaps it is for the best that you fail. What good is a life in which there is nothing that makes you special? Losing your purpose in life is a fate worse than death." It was funny what being one wrong move from death did to a person. She should have frozen in place or been hyper aware of everything that went on. Instead, Her thoughts turned from the terrible situation that she was in and towards her father. Yuto Sato loved his family-at least Aiko thought he did-but he would tolerate nothing less than excellence. Sometimes when she was little her father would see something on tv and shake his head. He'd say, "A life with no meaning is not a life worth living. Prove your worth to world before it leaves you behind." He wasn't much fun to watch tv with, but maybe he had a point. What was the point of living without a purpose?

Maybe the queen was right. Whether she won or lost didn't matter because if she won she got to leave and if she lost then she deserved to be stuck in the shadow realm. Someone as useless as her would only slow them down.

This was her chance to prove her worth to the world. Aiko almost relished the challenge. Now she finally got a chance to show what she was made of.


	23. Painted in Red

Author's Note:

Hi guys! I borrowed this phrase from Bakura's version of the events in the beginning of the story, which was featured in _Misfits and What Ifs._ My only excuse for the length between updates is because this chapter was a monster to write. It's not my longest chapter, but it might be the hardest to write so far. I've spent a lot of time writing and rewriting it in hopes that I can get it as close to perfection as I am able. Also, I have a couple of pieces that I am working on for _Misfits and What Ifs_ , so if you want to know what happened to different characters prior to Bakura's escape from the shadow realm you should keep an eye out.

Thanks to all of my reviewers, especially angiembabe and lalalei. Your reviews are always encouraging and useful. Much of the time your guesses come close, and even if they aren't they're still interesting to read!

-TheEagerScribbler

Trigger warning: This chapter features disturbing scenes, including blood and death. If you are someone who does not want to read something like that skip down to Yugi's point of view.

Chapter 23: Painted in red

 **Aiko pov.**

Aiko found herself staring at the platform game with apprehension. There had to be some sort of catch. Games were what she knew best and she could easily predict what a platform style game would be like. She saw balconies, cars, and random floating platforms in the air and crates on the ground that she knew would hold items to help her defend herself. If there were platforms and items then there would have to be enemies. Who were they? Were they her own creatures like Midori or would they be duel monsters, which Bakura seemed to favor? There was only one way to find out...

She took a running start and jumped onto the first platform. Aiko jumped from platform to platform like a character in some retro style 8 bit game. She was less tired tired than she thought she'd be from all of the exertion. Only moments before the queen's challenge she remembered feeling exhausted from the burden of the shadows and physical activity but now she was strangely calm. Before all of this magic nonsense she always felt this calm confidence even under pressure. Deadlines were no big deal and she thrived on competition. Somehow she had allowed the pressure, fear, and uncertainty to turn her into a teary-eyed child. That had to end. If she won it would be because of her own brain and determination, and if she lost then it was because she had met a superior opponent and would deserve the consequences.

A loud crack rang in the air and she realized what it was without looking. It seemed that Aiko's instinct had been right-Bakura was playing dirty, as if she expected anything less from someone who took such pleasure in tormenting them. Someone had a gun. Aiko avoided looking back for fear that she would make herself vulnerable to someone else, but she listened carefully to the footsteps. Whoever was chasing her was wearing heels, so it was clearly human, or at least an excellent reproduction of one. Instead of turning around she jumped onto the balcony of some apartment buildings and surveyed her surroundings. The path that she was supposed to follow seemed endless-it was just building after building for what seemed like miles. Below the platform Aiko's best friend Melissa was guarding a box. Melissa was small and frail looking- her big brown eyes and round face made her look younger than she really was. Seeing her with a gun was bizarre because she couldn't even bring herself to kill a bug. Maybe it was just another layer of illusion. He was just trying to psych her out.

Aiko did the only thing that she could-she ran. Avoiding the bullets made her feel nervous but also alive. Something about the way she moved was instinctual. She had no idea how long she would have until she reached her destination and no idea how she had even managed to stay alive. Staying alert and keeping an eye out for enemies was all she could do to protect herself. After running for a while Aiko had managed to not realize that she had crossed the street. She could only focus on moving forward. The box didn't take much effort to open. She only had to tear off the tape and reach inside in order to reach the gun and ammo. The sight made her queasy. Of course she understood the mechanics of operating a firearm-she had seen enough movies to get the gist of it all, but how was she supposed to bring herself to pull the trigger? "Not real. Not real." She muttered to herself. "None of this is real." But when a bullet landed an inch from her head it felt very real.

She spun around to face her so called friend. Her friend pointed the gun at her. "How could you do this?" Melissa cried. "I trusted more than anyone. I'm only shooting you because you'd shoot me first." Melissa was the face of innocence as tears streamed down her cheeks. "You're a traitor. Don't you see? You're the one making me do this!" She babbled on like that for a few more seconds but Aiko quit listening. None of it made any sense. She had never done anything wrong! It was all a trick, just a clever mind game created by an evil spirit. Melissa raised the gun and aimed it at her head. Unfortunately for her Aiko was faster.

Aiko had read somewhere that you should never point a gun at somebody unless you're ready to kill them, but how could anybody possibly be prepared for this? She could feel the force of the shot but she couldn't hear it-all she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating. Melissa fell to the ground almost instantly after a horrifying moment that was just long enough for her to realize what was happening. Blood poured out of her head and had splattered both Aiko and the grey asphalt that she was standing on.

"Oh my god." Was all that Aiko could manage to say. She stared at the body in front of her. "Oh my god. Melissa." Tears streamed down her face. She had shot someone wearing her best friend's face. For all that she was supposedly just a phantom created from the shadows and her memories Aiko was certain that there was no way that warmth and revolting smell of the blood could have come from her imagination. There was no way that even an imagination as creative as hers could conjure such horrifying images. The smell made her gag-she thought she was going to throw up.

The tell tale crack of a gunshot rang out and barely missed her. There was no time to mourn taking a life that never existed. She had to live if only to make Bakura pay for putting her through this. Dodge. Drop. Roll. Run. Jump. She was suddenly aware that she had just become a character in Bakura's twisted game. She could just see him sitting in front of a computer screen directing all of his pawns. How had he even managed to create such an elaborate illusion that seemed to extend for miles any way?

"Why are you doing this?" She shouted to Bakura. He wasn't present but she knew that he could hear her.

"Because I can," a voice said through speakers. "Here's a word of advice girl, If I were you I wouldn't spend too much time chatting. Your friends don't look happy to you!"

She didn't want to waste the time looking backwards so she looked at the reflection on buildings. She was being pursued by Kat, her oldest and closest friend. Kat was holding a machine gun and clearly wanted to use it to kill her. "Oh come on! Really, a machine gun? That's like killing a spider with a flamethrower- it's entirely unnecessary! Wouldn't something smaller do the trick?" She said as she dove behind and abandoned vehicle for cover.

"But this will be infinitely more entertaining!" was Bakura's only explanation.

Bullet after bullet punctured the car. Aiko hoped that it wouldn't cause an explosion. Could she dodge bullets and an explosion? She ran harder and faster than before. Maybe she could make it there by outrunning everyone! Her hands were still stained with blood and she couldn't bring herself to even look at the cold hunk of metal in her hands much less use it, even for self defense a second time.

There was one major flaw in her plans, something so ridiculously simple that she could hardly believe that she forgot to take it into account. She was tired. She had begun to feel it seep into her a while ago but didn't pay attention. What was the point? Giving into her exhaustion meant surrender and she'd rather die than admit defeat.

With every run, dodge, and jump she could feel the sweat dripping down her brow. She had to finish this. She hopped onto the next platform and onto the one after that. She had to make it. Her friend leapt in front of her and nearly knocked her off. A bullet came within a quarter of an inch from her chest.

The whole time she ran her heart was in her throat thumping as wildly and loudly as a drum solo. Her heart was the only thing that she could despite the deafening echoes of gunshots and screams. Someone with her best friend's face had tried to kill her. Now another friend was chasing after her with a gun as well. Kat was no more physically intimidating than Melissa but she was faster and more agile. She forced Aiko to take full advantage of the platforms, balconies, and cars that surrounded the street. Meanwhile Aiko was preparing herself to point her gun at someone wearing her friend's face. The absurdity of the situation was not lost on Aiko.

"It's not her. It's just a fake. Like solid vision, only really solid." She reminded herself. Reluctantly she raised her arm to shoot. Aiko took a breath and aimed. It was simple physics. She could do that, right? She shot again. She didn't quite hit where she was aiming for, but the look alike feel to the ground with a thud and a face frozen in permanent shock. She wished that she could unsee that face. Something warm and coppery splashed onto her skin and she willed herself to not look at it. She didn't have the stomach for it but she couldn't look away. This body didn't disappear like Melissa's. The corpse remained on the ground with eyes wide open staring up at the purple sky.

"Tick tock." Bakura's voice sang through a speaker. It was enough to shake her out her horror induced trance. They weren't real. If she didn't start moving now she would never see the real versions of them again. She had to keep going until she was beaten. The price of failure was just too high.

She jumped onto a balcony and then jumped onto the top of a truck before taking a running start to the next platform, but she just barely missed and found herself surrounded by people with guns. Her mother, her father, and Seto Kaiba were all there pointing ridiculously over powered guns at her chest. Somehow she couldn't help but laugh. What was she, an anime character? Dodging school girls with guns and now her own parents and her idol, it seemed more like an episode of some absurd television show than her own life.

For some reason they were waiting for her to shoot first.. She held her gun in her trembling hands but her finger froze on the trigger. No matter how angry she would sometimes get at him he was her Dad. He was the one who would tuck her into bed at night and tell her stories. She couldn't shoot anything with his face. The illusion of her mother put down the gun and held out her arms. Aiko was cold, exhausted, scared, and covered in blood. There was no way out for her. She looked over her 'father's shoulder at the path and saw that it didn't seem to end. She looked into the eyes of the woman in front of her and only saw emptiness. They would not help her, and they would also not kill her without some sort of was stuck with no way out. If she were to try to attack one of them they would overwhelm her with sheer numbers, and if she didn't then she would be forever stuck in the shadow realm. What was the point to continuing on? He could just make her walk forever, slaughtering people with the faces of her loved ones. There was no winning this terrible game of shadows that Bakura engineered. There was only pain. Aiko did the only thing that she could to end it-she walked to the woman with her mother's face and wrapped her arms around her, signaling her surrender.

* * *

 **Yugi pov.**

Yugi wanted to jump right into the shadow game and end it and he had to stop Tea from acting on the same impulse. He knew that she was thinking the same thing-when they looked at her they saw their daughter. "She'll be fine," Tea tried to reassure him. "We have to believe that she'll be fine."

"You're right. It's just that she's so _young_."

"So were we," she pointed out.

"I had already been running a multi-million dollar corporation for several years by the time I was her age," Seto said flatly. "If she can stand on her own two feet she'll walk out of there soon enough."

"Um...guys…" Mokuba pointed to the swirling shadows "I think something's happening."

Yugi squinted his eyes to try to make out what was happening. The shadows were lifting. His eyes searched frantically for the silhouette of the girl but found nothing. He swallowed and then turned to his wife, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tea...she's gone."

Mokuba's eyes widened. "You mean…?"

Yugi nodded. "Yes."

Bakura emerged from the Darkness carrying her body. He practically threw it in Kaiba's arms. "Only five left. I expected better."

Roland snuck up behind Bakura and pointed a gun at his head. Bakura smirked and Yugi realized that Bakura somehow sensed his presence. "Go ahead, shoot. I'm already dead, but my host isn't."Roland's hand began to waver but his finger remained on the trigger.

Suddenly Bakura's demeanor shifted and features softened. Somehow Ryou had managed to suppress the spirit long enough to beg. "Do it! He won't be gone for good but it'll buy you some time!" It wasn't fear that shone in his eyes, it was steely resolve.

"No! There has to be another way!" Tea cried.

"She's right! We'll try to beat him without killing you!"

"You don't have a choice unless-" Ryou's eyes went wide and his features began to shift again. "I won't give you the chance!"

"Shadow Ghoul, shroud me in shadows!" He walked into a shadow and then disappeared.

All attention turned back to Aiko. "Is she alive?" Akari asked hesitantly from behind Yugi.

Tea walked over to Akari and asked with a hand on her hip,"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home!"

Yugi simply raised an eyebrow. He wasn't happy with her but he would have done the same thing.

Akari's eyes were pinned to the ground. "I couldn't just stay home while you and Dad were here risking your lives. You would have done the same thing!

"We'll talk about this later," Yugi said sternly. "For now we have other things to take care of."

"Is she alive?" Akari repeated.

"She's breathing," was Seto's succinct response. For once Yugi agreed with Seto's assessment of the situation. "She's breathing" was the most optimistic thing that he could think of because the truth was that she wasn't alright. She had just lost her soul after undergoing psychological torture. The only way that she could be any less fine was for her heart to stop beating altogether.

Yugi drew his daughter close close and tried to reassure her. "Her soul is gone, but we can still get it back." They had done it with Mai and Joey, so it theory she could still be saved. It would only work if they defeated him soon, and there was no telling how long that would take. A traitorous voice in the back of his warned him that they might not make it in time.

"Sir, what will we do with the girl for now?" Roland asked, phone at the ready, waiting for his employer's next order.

"Take her to the hospital-just say that she suddenly fainted. When you're done call her parents."

"Yes sir!" He took the body from Seto. "Should I make a pit stop for you?"

"That won't be necessary, we're close enough to the office." Seto waved him away and looked at his watch. "If Mokuba and I hurry we might make our next meeting." Seto turned and began to walk away. Yugi wondered how Seto could just walk away and attend to daily business as though nothing had happened.

Mokuba shrugged and turned to Yugi. "We'll think of something, I just know it. For now I probably should attend this meeting. If the world doesn't end we'll really need these investors."

"We understand Mokuba, just be safe okay?" Tea cautioned.

"Will do!"

* * *

 _ **Later that day**_

Yugi and Tea clung to their daughter tighter than usual when they returned home.

"You're okay!"

"Yeah, no worries Mom."

"What were you thinking! You could have been killed!" Tea raised her voice, but she still clung to their daughter. "I thought you were smarter than that!"

Akari was silent for a minute, before quietly saying in a cracking voice, "We're never really safe are we?"

How had she become ensnared in all of this? When he and Tea decided to try for a baby they had thought that the most danger she would ever be in was from favoritism brought by her father's reputation and associating with the Kaiba family. They had truly believed that the shadow games had been sealed away with the millennium items. If they could be sealed away once, they could be resealed away. "That's not true. Right now things might look scary, but they won't always be that way. You've just-" Yugi was interrupted

Akari sighed, "...gotta have faith, I know."

"Am I really that predictable?" Yugi smiled tiredly.

"Yep."

"Well, it's good advice," Tea said in his defense. "Faith can be a weapon more powerful that the millennium items. You wouldn't believe how often it's saved us."

Akari looked at them skeptically. "It wasn't enough for _her._ "

"Sweetheart, it doesn't mean that bad things will never happen to you. It means believing that you can still pull through even when things get hard. It's remembering to never stop fighting. Aiko is a strong person and she fought as hard as she could, but she's inexperienced in a way that the rest of us aren't."

The girl nodded but remained silent. Yugi suspected that she was only silent because the only other alternative was to cry-he couldn't blame her. His daughter was fierce, but she was still human. "We'll get her back. Have faith in _me_ Kari,"

This time she was the one who held on tighter. "Okay."

* * *

Akari fell asleep earlier than usual, which meant that for the first time in a while the night was theirs. Both of them tried to pretend that things were normal. They made small talk about their day and tried to absorb themselves in some tv show that neither of them cared about. Somehow they ended up curled up against each other on the couch, speaking in hushed tones about their past and fears for the future.

"Yugi?" She had asked.

"Hm?"

"Do remember that day when Pegasus took your grandfather's soul?"

He wasn't entirely sure where she was going with that question."Yeah. What about it?"

"Did it ever occur to any of us that we were in way over our heads?" She asked in a small voice.

That was a good question. Truthfully he felt like there was never a choice so he tried not to think about it. At that point Yugi was still a young, inexperienced, bullied teenager. He almost always felt like he was in over head, but duelist kingdom was something else entirely. He had never had to deal with having someone else's life on the line. "I don't know about you guys, but I was so anxious that night that I could hardly sleep, and then there was that shadow game with Bakura where we were all game pieces-that was the first time that I realized how much danger we were all in. I knew that Pegasus had Grandpa's soul, but I had never come so close to losing my own soul before."

"How did we ever live this long with you, Joey, and Tristan dragging us into trouble head first? If their fists didn't get them into trouble it was their big mouths, and you...at least you had him."

"You seem to think that you were completely innocent in all of this. You, my dear, were just as bad as the three of us."

"Nope." She argued, " I was nowhere near as bad as Joey and Tristan. I knew when to keep my mouth shut."

"That's true, but you did stow away on a ship at Duelist Kingdom. How long do you think we'd ground Akari for that?"

Tea snorted. "She'd be grounded until she's thirty."

"Yep, that sounds about right," He casually agreed. "I think the only reason I was never punished was because Grandpa knew enough about Ancient Egypt to understand what I needed to do."

"You're so lucky that Grandpa used to be an archeologist!" Tea agreed. "I got into a lot of trouble when we got back.

Yugi smiled and looked down at the puzzle hanging around his neck. Everytime he looked at the gleaming metal and the eye of wdjat he remembered the promise inscribed on the puzzle: _"The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness..."_ They were true. The puzzle allowed for him to do extraordinary things and had exposed him to dark truths that had changed how Yugi saw the world.

After a moment of brief silence Yugi finally said, "After Battle City I used to wonder what kind of world our children would live in. There are some things that you just can't forget, not even when you try to drown yourself in work or get so drunk that hardly even remember your own name. The shadow games might be gone but I have a hard time believing that the shadow games are it." Tea knew all of this. Everytime something bad or unexplainable happened there was always a suspicion in the back of his mind that it wasn't mundane.

Tea herself had had nightmares at one point. Sometimes they were of shadow games, but other times they featured Dartz. One night when he held her after a nightmare she had confessed to him that she had never come so close to losing him, and that was why she considered them her worst nightmares."That's why Bakura does what he does. He makes sure that they powerful artifacts don't fall into the wrong hands so that no one else has to risk their life in situations like that." Tea paused to try to summon the strength to think about her friend who was currently at the mercy of a monster. "Yugi…" her voice began to falter. "What if we can't get rid of the spirit without…"

Yugi had no answer for that and drew her closer. He once again found himself looking at the puzzle contemplatively, as though a spirit who had all of the answers still resided in its maze like corridors.

Author's Note:

I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. Despite it's length it's dark and intense. I'm not going to lie, writing these kinds of chapters makes me nervous, but it's been a learning experience. Hopefully it's turned out okay. I promise that soon you'll have a break from doom and gloom. Please leave me a review telling me what you think!

-TheEagerScribbler


	24. Limits

Author's Note: Hi guys! I apologize for the agonizingly slow updates. The semester has started and I have started writing my senior thesis, meaning that I can only manage a few paragraphs at a time. I still have not finished editing this chapter yet, but I wanted to at least put up a rough version of the chapter in order to thank you guys for your infinite patience. As a treat I have added a certain point of view. I hope that you enjoy it! I've bounced back and forth between separating this chapter into two parts, so I might decide to make the last part of this chapter the beginning of chapter 25 at some point.

Thanks to all of my readers who have stuck with me through 24 chapters and the ridiculous waits. You guys are awesome! This of course includes angiembabe, yami mayonaka, and lalalei, my best friend who's not even in the fandom and puts up with me anyway, and all of you lovely readers!

 _ **This part is important:**_ This chapter is unedited and will replaced with an edited in the very near future. Please forgive any typos or grammar mistakes. I will do my best to smooth them over in the next few days so that you get a sparkling clean version as the final product!

-TheEagerScribbler

Chapter 24: Limits

 _Yugi's pov_

"Um...Yugi…"

Yugi snapped his head to face Joey. "What?"

"Why are ya waving a pencil around and staring at you deck like you expect it to talk back? Did ya learn some magic for the Dark Magician or somethin'?"

Yugi looked at his hands and did see a pencil in them. "Oh, I was just, uh, thinking, that's all. I'm trying to figure out how to improve my deck for Kaiba's Second Battle City. After all of this is over he wants me to compete."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea Yug?'

Yugi shrugged. "He won't announce it until all of this over. At that point nobody should be out to get the puzzle so it should be fine."

"That's not what I was askin'. Are you sure it's a good idea to enter another tournament run by money bags? I thought you hated the spotlight?"

" Recently I've had a customer who said the duel monsters used to be a game, but now it's a way of life. He's right, and I miss those days. I don't have a problem with the Spotlight Joey, I just prefer to play for fun."

"We duel all of the time. Most of the people you know are duelists," he pointed out.

"The last time I checked I run a game shop and I'm the King of Games. I don't think I have much choice."

Joey scowled. "You mean you wouldn't be friends with me if you had the choice?"

Yugi pretended to think about it, but they both knew what the real answer would be. "Well, you eat me out of house and home so…"

"Well that's just great, you big jerk. To think that I was gonna offer to help you get ready."

"That's all right Joey. I can just ask Mai. She's pretty, smart, and talented. She's the perfect dueling partner."

He had to try not to laugh at the comical expression on Joey's face. Then Joey doubled over with laughter and pointed towards the door. Tea stood, leaning against the door frame with an eyebrow raised. "What was that Yugi?"

"I meant my wife. My wife is pretty, smart, talented, and the perfect dueling partner."

"That's what I thought you said." She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "I know that you're busy, but would you mind manning the shop for a little while? I need to get some groceries."

"Tea, are you sure that going out alone is a good idea? I could come with you-"

"You know I like to help out in the shop on my off, but if you want cleaning supplies for the shop and food to cook for dinner I'll need to go."

Yugi began to tidy up the table and ready himself to leave. "I'll go with you."

Joey got up first and walked over to doorway."Nah Yugi, you go and man the shop. I'll go with Tea. Mai wanted to go and buy some of that shampoo that she likes anyway. You'd think that a hair stylist would have her own personal stash of shampoo!"

"Just be careful."

Without warning Akari stormed into the room and yelled, "What the hell is with everyone?"

"Language!" Yugi warned.

"A girl was just tortured and put into a coma and you're over joking about card games? It's like you don't even care!" Angry tears shone in her eyes. She hastily tried to wipe them away but they kept falling. It occurred to Yugi that from an outside perspective their behaviour probably did seem callous, and these circumstances were far from ordinary.

Joey a quieting hand on Akari's shoulder and said, "'Kari, what happened is horrible, but Bakura wants us to fall apart because if we do, he wins. If we act like she's dead already it's like we've given up. Did you know that Grandpa, Kaiba, Mokuba, Mai, and me have all lost our souls in shadow games?" Her eyes widened. "And I'm still here alive and kick'en ain't I? So are Mai, Kaiba, and Mokuba, and Gramps lived to a ripe old age didn't he?" She nodded. "Sometimes you just have to keep goin' because there's nothin' else to do."

Akari wasn't able to meet Joey's eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have accused you of not caring."

"S'okay little girl. You're just like your old man. That's not a bad thing."

Akari's righteous anger turned into an expression of minor teen annoyance. "Uncle Joey!" she whined.

"You eighteen yet?"

She stared blankly. "No, what does that have to do with anything?"

"If you're not a little girl then I'm old. I'd like to think that I'm not old yet so.."

"I hate to say it, but I don't think it works that way." Tea pointed out. "Don't you remember when we-"

Joey stuck his fingers in his ears. "La la la I'm not listening!"

"Just go!" Yugi groaned. "I'll still be here when you get back. Just try to make it quick, okay?"

Tea kissed him on the check and started dragging Joey to the door. "Come on Joey. Let's go."

"Yes ma'am." He turned to Yugi. "See you in a bit!"

Yugi kissed his wife goodbye, waved to Joey, and then made his way to the shop while desperately trying not to think about how every goodbye could be their last. Instead his mind wandered over to his was impressed with how well Akari was handling everything. She was understandably upset, but she was still holding up admirably. Kaiba was right, his daughter was stronger than anyone had given her credit for. Akari had gone upstairs to her room, presumably to mess around on the internet and listen to music, which is what she usually did when she needed to calm down.

That meant that Yugi was left alone in the shop with only his thoughts. He was grateful for the silence that came with a slow day because he could use the break. Lately he had been feeling to tired-they all had. Initially he had thought that he'd have trouble sleeping, but it seemed to work the other way around. These days he couldn't think of anything that he wanted more than sleep.

Yugi blinked and saw a shadowy blur. He blinked again and it was gone. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe these shadows were just a symptom of sleep deprivation and not the result of some sort of plotting on Bakura's part. There was another option that he didn't want to consider. "Maybe I really am going crazy." He murmured. That kind of thinking was going to get him nowhere. That kind of thinking was exactly what Bakura wanted. It was obvious to all of them by now that the real purpose of their games had been to wear them. He pointed out their weaknesses and doubts and ruthlessly exploited them for his own gain. In a sense Bakura's true objective was moderately successful in the very least. Everything that they had been through in such a short span of time was beginning to take a toll on them. How had they managed all of this so well when they were all basically children the first time. Yugi leaned back in his chair tiredly. "How did we do it?"

"How'd you all do what? Really Yugi Boy, you shouldn't say things out loud unless you're prepared for others to hear you." Yugi looked up in surprise and Saw pegasus standing in front of the counter in his usual suit.

"Hi Pegasus. I thought you were swamped with meetings?"

"Even someone as busy as me needs to make time for a lull in my schedule. Otherwise I'd find myself in less than peak condition. We can't have that now, can we?"

"No, I suppose not," Yugi agreed.

"Excellent!"

This was starting to become very odd, annoying habit. It wasn't exactly that he disliked him. In the beginning her did, he _had_ kidnapped his grandfather and stolen his soul, but with time and more experience with the items he had come to understand him better. He was just desperate and the shadows had exploited that. Joey, Mai, Tristan, Tea, Mokuba, and Seto couldn't entirely understand what it meant to be a wielder of a millennium item, of shadow magic. It was corrupting and intoxicating and he could only imagine that someone who was grieving would have been especially vulnerable.

What Yugi objected to was that he would just pop up at random times and drag Yugi places in order to offer unsolicited advice. It might have been nice when he was a teenager and didn't know anything except that he had better not screw up with the world at stake, but he was grown man now and didn't need his advice on life or magic. His objections didn't matter. If Pegasus wanted Yugi's time then he might as well save the time he would have wasted arguing and close up shop. Despite his sometimes flamboyant appearance Maximillion Pegasus was still a CEO and he always got what he wanted.

Ten minutes later he found himself at an ice cream shop that Pegasus had bribed the owner to close early so that that they could talk in private.

"You do realize that we could have just done this at home? I have icecream in the freezer."

"Where's your sense of fun? I seem to recall that you used to have one of those."

Yugi shrugged and said, "Fatherhood does that to you."

For a brief moment Pegasus narrowed his eyes and put down his spoon. "I wouldn't know." Yugi cursed himself. He should have known that children would be a sore spot, a reminder of the future that he and his wife never got to have.

"What did you want to talk about?'

Pegasus rebounded quickly and leaned back in his seat with a dramatic sigh. "Talk."

What exactly did he want him to say?

"I think you know, Yugi boy. You're keeping it all bottled up inside and it's not healthy. You need to come to terms with your own demons before they make you vulnerable to Bakura and the shadows. Besides, who could possibly understand about that better than me?"

He had been confiding in his wife and friends plenty. He just didn't choose to divulge his doubts and fears to Pegasus, and why would he? They weren't exactly close.

"Don't give me that lip Yugi. I'm only trying to help you," Pegasus gently scolded.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it," he accused.

"I'm not!" Yugi defended himself, feeling entirely like a little kid being chastised by his parent.

"Last time I checked the eye doesn't even work like that!"

"You're missing the point Yugi boy," he snapped.

Yugi calmed himself and took a deep breath. How much would it take for Pegasus to leave? "What do you want to know?"

"You tell me. I could always fish it out of your mind, but actually saying it outloud can have therapeutic value."

He was beginning to understand why Kaiba thought that the man was so obnoxious. He expected eccentric, and Yugi could handle that. However, the constant meddling now that he had the eye back had not made him seem any more likeable than they thought he was, and even that was the subject of much debate. "He has her soul," Yugi sadly stated. "She's nearly my daughter's age, and now she's…" He stopped, unable to say it. "She's a child! Why should she have to suffer because the adults can't get their act together?"

Pegasus frowned thoughtfully and took a bite of his pink and blue cotton candy flavored ice cream. "Yes, children are in the unfortunate position of having to rely upon adults for their well being aren't they? However, here's the thing Yugi boy... the poor girl is hardly a child, and fate chose her just like it chose _you_. Sometimes the world is a terrible, cruel place, but that's just the way things go. Don't let this guilt destroy you. I can see it nipping at your heels Yugi boy. You're far stronger than I ever was, but it wouldn't do for you to slip would it now?"

"What?"

Pegasus put down the the now purple colored spoon and soberly faced Yugi. " How many times have you stared into the face of evil knowing that if you failed your loved ones and the entire world would suffer. You've watched friends lose their souls, faced evil incarnate, lost the spirit of the puzzle, and have had to endure the terror of your daughter's kidnapping. Now a girl has lost her soul and you feel as though it's all your fault for being in their lives. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You've been through alot and your brain is trying to process it. If you persist in calling yourself weak I'm not going to allow you to leave here."

"Is that a threat?" Yugi asked cooly.

Waving his spoon in the air the air the man exclaimed "Nonsense! It's impossible to threaten anybody while eating such delectable food, wouldn't you say? You and I both know that you're going to give in because you're just dying to share this with someone, so just let the words tumble out of your mouth and I promise that I'll keep your secrets."

He decided to ignore the ridiculous claim you couldn't threaten someone over ice cream because that was exactly what Pegasus was doing and decided to finally give voice to the doubts lurking in the corners of his mind. "What if we can't do it?"

"Yugi Mutou, King of Games, holder of the millennium puzzle, vessel of the great Nameless Pharaoh…" Pegasus mused. "You feel like the saving the world is only your burden to carry. Which of those is your true reason for those feelings? Well, whatever the case," he said dismissively, " Your mind has had all that it can handle, which you should absolutely tell your wife, even if _I_ am bound to secrecy. Sometimes taking comfort in your beloved's arms is the most effective way to heal," somehow Yugi got that feeling that he was looking straight past him into a far off time when he was happily married newlywed. " If you let it consume you you may force us to take action against you. That would be truly tragic. You've seen Marik Ishtar and myself. Only you know the full power of the puzzle, but I'm betting that if you willed it to, the puzzle could inflict more damage than my eye, and it seems that some of us are still recovering from the damage left in it's wake."

Suddenly it hit Yugi. "You think that I'm a liability." He wasn't crazy! Bakura had that type of power, was it really so unfeasible that he was there, watching them? Maybe he was a little paranoid, but surely that was a good thing if it kept them all alive.

Pegasus pushed his now empty ice cream cup to the side. "That depends on you, I suppose."

"Listen to me Pegasus. I'm more than well aware that the odds are against us and that no one else sees these shadows. I still think it's Bakura, but I'm willing to admit that maybe it's my eyes playing tricks on me. "It's just that I'd rather be cautious and alive than ignorant and dead. I'm not crazy, my sanity shouldn't be what's in question! I'm not the only one who's being worn down by all of this! Have you taken a look at Ishizu or Mokuba lately? Have you noticed that even Seto's looking like exhausted these days? We're talking about a CEO that hardly ever sleeps! We're all tired, we're all struggling, and none of us have any real idea of what Bakura's planning. No matter what we do we're going to be at a disadvantage."

"You do have a point Yugi boy, this has taken a toll on all of us. Just be warned, I'll be evaluating everyone very carefully. We can't allow anyone to endanger the rest of us." Was he extending that analysis to himself too? If anything Pegasus was the one to watch out for. Yugi's spoon paused midway to his mouth and then put it back down. He was being ridiculous. Why was he starting to think of Pegasus as the enemy?

"That's not going to happen. If anything we're better equipped than we were back then," Yugi pointed out.

Pegasus made that dangerous sort of eye contact that told Yugi that he was looking straight into his mind. "No we're not. The challenges that you have faced were predictable, and this is anything but."

Yugi's first instinct was to start yelling and hurling insults. His hands were balled into fists so tight that he could feel his fingernails cutting into the palm of his hand. If anyone should be suspected it was Pegasus. They all knew that he had been inclined to give into the darkness. Yugi could sometimes see it in his eyes when he was trying to be friendly. It seemed genuine in the beginning, but could he still say the same? For all he knew it could be an act. He had done a pretty damn good job fooling the rest of the world with the facade of the eccentric business man-sometimes he even had Yugi and the others 's meeting was a good reminder that there was more to Pegasus than met the eye. No, he had to stop thinking this way. Hadn't he resolved to stop thinking of Pegasus as the enemy only moments ago? Why was he doing it again?

"Was that all?" Yugi managed to say without any of the irritation that he was feeling seeping into his voice.

Pegasus' eyes narrowed. "Yes, I suppose we are."

* * *

"We're baaaack!" Joey shouted as he entered the shop. "Hey Yugi, you really should control that wife of yours. She's an absolute tyrant when it comes to groceries."

Tea accidentally on purpose stepped on Joey foot and Yugi tried not to laugh at their antics. "Excuse me, for a second I thought that you just told my husband that he needed to control me. I nearly lost my balance because of the shock."

"See what I'm talking about?"

This time she ground her foot into Joey's, not even bothering to pretend that she was wasn't upset. "The only thing that needs to be controlled is your impulse shopping, Joey. Now, if I were you I'd start putting away groceries before you dig yourself into an even deeper hole." With that Yugi began to sort through the groceries and put them into their appropriate places.

Today's grocery trip had been unusually big because they were feeding so many people. He also noticed the large bag of flour. So she planned on more baking? Yugi had eaten so many baked goods that he could hardly stand to look at them in the days since Akari had been kidnapped. Of course he wouldn't tell her he felt that way-he'd be willing to do anything if it helped her to deal with the mess that they were in. Maybe that was what Yugi needed, a hobby. Maybe he needed some hobbies that didn't involve Egypt or duel monsters.

Once they had all finished and Joey was sprawled on the couch and Tea was sitting in her favorite chair Yugi plopped down to floor at his wife's feet. "I was thinking, maybe we should go down to the pier tomorrow. We've all been cooped up for way too long and I think that it's starting to get to us." Pegasus' warning was still fresh on his mind.

"What's brought all this one? You've been dead set on staying home unless it's absolutely necessary," Tea eyed him curiously.

"Pegasus." Yugi said simply.

"What about him?" Joey asked.

"He and I talked. He thinks that we're all getting burned out, and while I hate to admit it, he's right. We can't just go on vacation, but maybe we can make our own fun here."

"I smell a duel monsters tournament at your place. You practically have all of the top ranking duelists here anyway!" Joey pumped his fist in the air.

Yugi shook his head, "No, I think we need to get away from Duel Monsters." He expected protests from Joey or teasing from Tea, but it never came. Instead they both agreed with him. "Let's tell the others then."

"I'm on it!" Joey whipped out his phone and started to dial numbers. "Mai should be here any second, but we'll have to tell everyone else."

Almost as if on cue there was a knock on the door. Sure enough it was Mai, who held four pizzas. "Joey and I thought that it might be a good idea to order pizza as a surprise. Maybe the four of us can cook something tomorrow, but tonight we need a little fun."

"Thanks Mai!"

"Of course, that's why everybody adores me! I even made sure to get extra, because, well, you know Joey and Tristan."

The pizza turned out to be a good idea. Kaiba came for about an hour for dinner before even Mokuba's pleas for his brother to take a break could no longer keep him from the office. He walked out the door shortly after saying, "If you aren't going to be productive I've got better things to do with my time." Mokuba could only apologize and leave with him. If his brother was going to work then he figured that he should too. The rest of them spent the night enjoying eachother's company and trying to forget the danger at their door step. It was almost like before, and Yugi found himself clinging to the sensation of normality. For once he felt himself be able to relax and participate in his friend's usual ridiculous banter and debates over the virtues of their favorite movies.

At night Pegasus, Ishizu, and Marik left to go back to their hotel rooms but Joey, Tristan, and Mai stayed and camped out on their living room floor for the night. Somehow they had all mutually agreed without even saying anything that they were going to have a sleep over. They needed the comfort of each other's company. The way that they rationalized it was that there was safety in numbers, but truthfully they wanted to forget all of their troubles like they used to when they were children.

Yugi and Tea curled up against each other and watched as Akari passionately defended her favorite movie to her skeptical uncles. "She's back," Tea smiled brightly. "She's finally back." He couldn't agree more. By two o'clock Yugi was the last one awake, and even he was losing the battle with sleep. Somehow the situation seemed less terrible with his friends at his side. If he closed his eyes he could pretend that he was in another place and time things didn't seem so bleak they felt as though there was a bright future ahead of them.

* * *

 _Atem's pov:_

When Yami met Yugi he was small and covered with marks that served as reminders of the casual cruelty that human beings were capable of. He seemed intent on going through life attracting as little attention as possible. Yami saw something beneath the glassy violet eyes of the boy who was bullied. Behind loneliness and resignation there was a fire that spoke of a quiet, enduring strength Yami could not comprehend. If it was there why didn't he fight back? His passivity drove him to frustration.

If Yami had needed to sleep perhaps he would have mistaken this for weakness, but not needing sleep left a great deal of time for thinking, and he had come to realized that the boy's strength laid in his compassion. The boy was no stranger to pain, but he still placed himself in completely avoidable situations and refused to fight because he understood pain, loneliness, and insecurity. As time went on began to see the value of mercy and compassion, but he could not begin to fathom how the boy chose who he was going to extend it to. By some odd turn of fight two of Yugi's bullies became his friends and protectors and frankly the situation left him baffled. How had known the goodness that laid in those boy's hearts when Yami could not even sense it? At least for them he had evidence of Yugi's instinct, but what about his sympathy for Kaiba and Pegasus? Pegasus has stolen his grandfather's soul and nearly erased him from existence, and yet he felt pity for him. He felt much the same way about Kaiba as well even after nearly killing his grandfather and obstructing his efforts to save him during the tournament. Some dark side of Yami demanded blood but as always, Yugi refused allow it.

Something within Yami screamed for justice to be served on his partner's behalf, but the boy would not hear it. "That's not up to us," he'd said. " We don't have the right to punish them. That's why we have judges and juries. Besides, they were just desperate. They deserve a second chance. I don't believe that they are bad people at heart." As time went in he began to see his point. People were more complicated than good and evil and there were many shades of grey. Couldn't some of the things that he had done when he first woke up in the puzzle be considered bad? Yugi seemed to think so, but he did not condemn him.

Over time they had grown close and their way of thinking became influenced by each other. The spirit who once had no name and no identity other than the one that he occasionally borrowed from a boy began to be moulded into his own person, and that person would always bear the mark of his friendships formed in the 20th century. His existence could be broken up into four eras: Life, his time as the spirit Yami before he formed a close relationship with Yugi and his friends, his time as the spirit called Pharaoh after he formed close relationships with them, and now his time in the afterlife. Yami, Pharaoh, and all that made him Atem during his life were still there, but they blended together to form a new person. He wouldn't be the person that he was without his friends, and he felt even stronger affection towards them because of it.

It was those bonds that kept him awake while almost everyone else in his piece of the afterlife was was the trouble with being a Pharaoh, even in the afterlife certain thoughts and decisions weighed heavily on him. Mahad said that what made him a good ruler, but Atem thought that it only served to make him a very tired one.

He sat on the couch in his quarters and drew a blanket around himself. He wondered if his friends were also having trouble sleeping that night. Their situation was dire enough that they would all be on edge. He didn't need to watch them to know that Yugi's mind would be unable to relax until either very late at night or very early in the morning. When Yugi was anxious he would always lie awake contemplating his problems. The Pharaoh would sometimes force Yugi into soul room so that his mind could rest in peace. He didn't have that option now, and as each day passed the weight of his problems began to crush him further.

During the days since Yugi's daughter had been kidnapped Atem had watch as anxiety and stress began to take its toll on became more and more paranoid as the hours ticked by, his daughter was having trouble sleeping because of her kidnapping, and Tea was terrified all of the time but trying to hold everyone together. After the time that they had spent together Atem could tell when she was faking being ok, and now was one of those times. What use was being a Pharaoh when you could not extend a helping hand to your own friends? He used every resource at his disposal to help them it never felt like enough. This was his battle long before they even took their first breaths. Why should they suffer because of his own failures?For some reason the gods were absolutely insistent on that and were unwilling to relent even the slightest bit, so instead he was reduced to cryptic warnings and being forced to watch his friends suffer.

As the Pharaoh watched he could tell that something wasn't right with Yugi. The strong young boy who faced the very incarnation of evil in the face with courage worthy of a great warrior was struggling in ways that the Pharaoh had never seen him struggle, and that terrified him. What if this was what broke Yugi? He would have live with the fact that he had destroyed his closest friend for the rest of eternity. Being dead made the Pharaoh useless, and that thought was one of the most disturbing things about the situation for him.

With thoughts like those there was no point in pretending that he would be able to sleep, so Atem grabbed a torch and began to wander until he reached his favorite spot in the garden. In the daylight it was as eternal oasis blanketed with green and dotted with colorful flowers that at one point he might have found exotic. Under the bright moon and stars that illuminated the night it was no less beautiful. The sounds were soothing and had often aided him in clearing his thoughts. Suddenly he was startled by a voice tentatively calling out, "My pharaoh, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me Mahad."

"You went out without protection!" Mahad suddenly froze. Suddenly Atem could see the exact moment when Mahad realized that he forgot himself. "My apologies." If only he could get him stop this ridiculous deference. Was he really that bad in the past that his own friends were so terrified of him?

"Mahad, nobody is going to hurt me. They wouldn't have even made it here in the first place. I only needed some room to think and this area," he made a sweeping motion across the area, "is most peaceful at night."

"Forgive me for infringing on your privacy then."

"You were only doing your job," Atem reassured him. "Would you like to join me?"

"Of course!" Mahad caught up with him quickly, but was careful to keep a step behind him.

The pair meandered through oasis without a particular oasis in mind. The afterlife was modeled after Egypt during his reign, but even with his memories back he still had places to explore and things to re-learn. In his mind's eye he could vaguely remember a similar place that he had discovered with Mana and Mahad. Would things always be this way? Would he always be forced to work with memories of half-forgotten days?

Mahad leaned down and picked a fruit from a low hanging vine and handed it to the Pharaoh. He recognized it as a date, his favorite fruit. "They always taste better right off the vine."

He was right. They were juicy and sweet. Atem reciprocated the favor and picked one for Mahad. "Here."

Mahad bowed and gratefully accepted the fruit. "Thank you." He nibbled at the fruit as they walked, but Atem knew that he would be as alert as always. Old habits died hard.

"You don't need to do that every time." It was an ongoing argument that neither of them had won in 20 years. Atem wanted his friends to treat him as an equal but they refused saying that they could be friends and respect his position (although Atem argued that if he gave them permission they were not disrespecting him). They said that was just how things had to be here, even if that was not how they had been in 20th century Japan, wherever that was. Neither Mahad nor Atem were particularly bothered by how long their agreement had been going on because they had an eternity to settle their argument.

"Of course _my Pharaoh_ ," This time it was said with the barest hint of amusement. As quickly as it came the amusement was replaced by something else that he couldn't quite recognize. "You fear for your friend," he gently stated. "It is only natural, but one cannot hope to defy the will of the gods. Worrying about it will not change must be." Although the words were well meant they provided little comfort.

"What else can I do, if not worry about them? They are fighting our war, and from the look of things…" Words had power, and saying them would only make them more real. Both of them knew that Bakura was even more powerful this time around. For some reason they had refused to listen to his advice to go Egypt right away, and now the clock was ticking.

"They are fighting a battle as old as time. It is everyone's battle." For a moment the two men were silent, but the weight of their conversation made their usual easy companionship feel heavy.

Mahad was the first one to break the silence. He opened his mouth, and then closed it as if he thought better of what he was going to say, and then with hesitation said, "There is something that they might do." The dim glow of the torch was just bright enough to show the regret on his face.

Atem's eyes widened in realization of what his friend was referring to. Panic surged through him and the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "No, I refuse to let it come to that!" More quietly he said, "There has to be another way." While his friends were fighting he could research. He owed them that much.

Mahad stayed silent, preferring to not lie to him. He thought that such a thing was impossible, but he was not a Pharaoh. Very few things were impossible if he looked in the right avenues. With two lifetimes of experience and six experts on shadow magic at his disposal they would come up with a solution because he could not afford to fail. Suddenly Atem felt tired. "Come, we should both get some rest before the sun rises." They may not have any physical need for sleep but their minds needed the retreat.

His friend followed him in silence until they had to part ways. Without thinking about it he put out the torch and then laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He hoped that Yugi, at least, was sleeping. He was going to need it.


	25. Atlas

Author's Note:

Hi guys! This one took a while for many reasons, but I suppose what it boils down to for you is an even more ridiculous wait than usual. A note about the content of this chapter-a part of it deals with carnivals. I was unable to find a great deal of details about what Japanese carnivals are like, so it's based off of my background of American carnivals (which I rarely go to anyway). Just so you know, the song referenced in the shop is a real song called _Give Me Love_ by Hey! Say! Jump! Also, please forgive my reference to the wrong ancient culture's mythology in the title. I couldn't think of a better description for Yugi's situation than that of Atlas, so it seemed fitting.

I'm extremely grateful to you guys for all of your support and for putting up with my rambling author's notes, long updates, and experiments in writing for 25 chapters!

Thanks,

TheEagerScribbler

 **Summary:**

Yugi and the others have endured a kidnapping, a battle, and three shadow/penalty games, and the loss of one of their own. For now they must heal and desperately grasp for any advantage that they can get their hands on as they try to come up with a strategy and timing for their final confrontation. Everyone is exhausted is struggling to cope with what they have experienced, but Yugi is taking it especially hard. He has begun to see shadows but has no idea what is causing this phenomenon. Is Bakura behind it or is it all in his head?

Atlas

"I'm gonna try to knock em' down. I really need one of these babies for my deck!" Joey pointed at pins at the back of the booth directly in front of them. The Prize was some card that Yugi couldn't see from where he was standing.

"Not if I win it first!" Tristan smirked.

"Hey, shut your pie hole. You don't even duel in competitions!"

"Who says that I need it for that?"

"No carnival prize is as sweet as victory!" They had decided to go to the carnival, which they usually enjoyed, but this time they had forgotten why they usually didn't go with Joey and Tristan. The two seemed to feed off the carnival atmosphere, and like little boys they had to constantly one-up each other. It was stressful.

Yugi and Tea watched them with amusement tinged with a hint of embarrassment. He had always liked the games, bright lights, and the sugary sweet smell in the air but he could do without their arguing. Sometimes Yugi and Tea felt like they were their parents instead of Akari' rolled her eyes at them and stood up. "As fun as it is watching those two make fools of themselves I want to go get some cotton candy. Do you want to come with me or should I just bring you back a blue one?"

He took one last look at his friends, who had been so distracted by their argument that they forgot about the game. "Sure, I don't mind going with you." They weaved around people as they walked hand in hand in hand in order to find the cotton candy stand. As they walked they found themselves waving at many old friends and neighbors. After not being able to relax in his own home here, surrounded by friends and acquaintances smiling and giggling as they miss easy targets and crack jokes he finally felt at home. There were no shadows here, not the weird kind that he had been seeing.

The vender selling cotton candy turned out to a regular at the shop. "Hi Yugi! Hi Tea! You want the usual, right?"

"Thanks Luke. How's that new strategy working out for you?" Yugi asked conversationally.

Judging from the grimace on his frequent customer's face it was not going well. "It's...going I guess. I think I have more work to do considering that I didn't score well in the last tournament."

"You're a good duelist. You can't have done that bad!" Tea protested.

His shoulders sagged. "I made 49."

"That's not so bad. Considering that there's usually so many competitors that's a solid score, and I know that you can raise it from there!"

"It was a neighborhood thing, so there were only 50 of us," he said miserably. At first he opened his mouth to offer to stop by his house, but he didn't want to put him in extra danger, so quickly decided to instead ask, "Why don't you send me your deck list? Maybe we can think up some strategies together."

"Thanks, but I need to figure this out on my own. Knowing the King of Games would be an unfair advantage."

Yugi nodded. He could respect that. "Ok. Well, you know where my shop is if you change your mind."

Together they walked around for a while just enjoying the atmosphere. Akari seemed to be enjoying herself too. The girl was competitive and loved carnival games. When she spotted them she waved and then ran up to them. "Look at what I won!" It was an enormous stuffed Kuriboh."

"Wow. You must have gotten to high scores to have won that thing!" Tea remarked.

"It was so unfair. The guy knew that I'm your daughter and doubled the rounds that I needed to win for each prize. It's not like you were the one playing," she huffed, "It's not like you can inherit a skill. If I were any other person's kid I would have won it in half the time!"

"At least you've managed to win it now. That's what important. Come on, let's go see if they have a ferris wheel. We can do that! I have a feeling that you've already managed to hit up most of the other stalls."

"Is there anything else?"

If she was anything like he was at that age she had probably already made the rounds and was about ready to make them a second time. "Well, you could always go on the tunnel of love with your old dad." He put an arm around her and drew her closer. "But, something tells me that you'd rather go with your mom on the Ferris wheel or get an ice-cream cone."

"Let's go mom, before dad gets all sentimental on me again!" She started dragging tea towards the ride, leaving Yugi alone with the food that his wife had bought.

Before he realized it Joey, Tristan, and Mai were at his side. "There you are Yugi. We've been looking everywhere for you since I've gotten here!"

"Mai! When did you get here?"

"I managed to convince Ren to come in about 45 minutes early in exchange for covering 45 minutes of a shift the next time that she asks me. Since I'm the boss I didn't have a problem with that," she shrugged. "Now I was thinking that all of us need to do something together once we find that wife of yours. Where is Tea anyway. We need someone else to help keep you boys in line!"

"She's with Akari on the ferris wheel. She should be done sometime soon. What did you have in mind?"

"Well-"

"Hi Dad! Can I go with Rachel to the new exhibition at the Black Crown? Invitation is by word of mouth only. Apparently, they're giving a sneak peak of the revamped Dungeon Dice Monsters game. There's going to be demonstrations and a competition and everything!" He and Duke had a friendly rivalry as owners of competing shops, so it was unsurprising that he hadn't told Yugi.

"Sure, just keep your phone with you at all time, stay in direct life, and if anything, bad should happen tell Duke. We've been trying not to involve more people in all of this, but has been through some of this before. He was there during the Battle City Finals. He'll believe you."

"Thanks! I'll be careful. I promise!" She threw her arms around him in her excitement. "I promise that I'll have my phone on at all time and that stuff!"

"Now that the kiddies are gone, how about we do something with just the five of us. It's been a while since we've been able to do anything fun."

"Let's go for some noodles!" Joey exclaimed.

"You boys always think with your stomach. Isn't there anything that you'd like to do besides eat?"

Mai had a point. Eating would only take up so much time. Doing something else couldn't hurt. "How about we just take a walk on the pier? We could all use some fresh air and exercise."

Tristan opened his mouth hesitantly before asking, "What about Bakura?"

"No matter what we do there's a chance that he'll confront us. At least this way we're making ourselves stronger by taking breaks. Throwing yourself into a task at 100% all of the time gets to you after a while."

"Lead the way then Yug, since this is your idea."

"Sure!"

* * *

Yugi was beginning to wonder if this was a bad idea. Yugi tried not to react as he spotted a shadowy blur out of the corner of his eye. A quick glance told him that there were no shadows in the room. Instead of his growing anxiety he tried to focus on conversation that his friends were having as they walked.

"Didn't there used to be something else there?" Tristan pointed at a store selling cell phones.

Joey stared contemplatively. "I think this was a video rental place back in the day. They had videos and cassette tapes."

"Now that I think about it that's a weird place for a video rental store. No wonder they went out of business!"

Yugi took a bite of his cotton candy. "If I remember right the guy who ran the star said that someone needed to be there for the people still holding on to their VCRs, and because of that he waited too long to carry DVDs. By the time he started selling he couldn't keep up with the market. There were already too many places to buy them."

"I'm impressed Yugi. Is there anyone in Domino that you don't know?"

He merely shrugged. In a business like his most people stopped by every now. Domino was still the Duel Monsters capital of the world and everyone knew at a least one kid. His shop was known for card games and role playing games, but he also sold traditional board games too. Nearly everyone made their way to him eventually.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question. Of course you'd know everyone. You're the most friendly one of us all and you're just so sweet and eager to please. You're like a puppy, even now that you're all grown up," Mai teased.

Over the years he had grown used to her teasing remarks and shrugged off. "What does that make Joey?"

"I don't know. A mutt?" Tristan looked at Mai for confirmation.

"I'd say he's a pitbull. He can look scary, but underneath the rough exterior he's a big sweetie." She gave him a playful peck on the lips.

"That sounds right to me. Did you know that Joey was bully in school before he and Yugi became friends? He put on this whole tough guy act but his bark was mostly worse than his bite."

"I grew out outta that!"

"It's true that you've grown out of the bullying, but you still act all tough." Yugi pointed out.

"What do ya mean that's an act? I'm tough as nails!"

Mai snorted in a rather unlady like way. "This is coming from the man who cried while watching the Titanic with me?"

"It was a beautiful movie!"

Tristan stopped in front of shop advertising a new card set. "Guys! Let's go check out the card shop. I wanna see if they have any good good warrior cards. Sorry Yugi, but sometimes they have different cards."

"No offense taken," Yugi shrugged. Sometimes that's just how things were-a lot of good cards were obtained through people selling old cards, so what you get depends on who walks into your store.

They browsed the counter for good cards. "Good afternoon Mister Wheeler. Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Nah, I'm just lookin', although…" He scanned the counter, "Do ya happen to have a Gilford the Legend?"

"Not up front I'm afraid, but I can always check the back. I know that I got two in recently, but you're not the first person to request that card." The man left them all alone with the only other customer besides them.

It was a young looking man with the barest hint of a beard on his chin. He was mouthing along to Give me love, which was playing softly in the background. Suddenly he froze and stared at Joey. "M-M-M-Mr. Wheeler. Wow, what are you doing here with…" His eyes widened as he registered who the others in the shop were. "Wow! I can't believe you're here instead of Turtle Game Shop. That thing you did with Time Wizard was just wow! I never knew that card could still be relevant! Can I please have your autograph?" He patted his pockets and found a pen but no paper. "Can you sign my forehead?" Yugi could hardly hide his grin. Joey wasn't as recognized as him or Seto, but he longed for that recognition. To be asked to sign a man's face would make his week.

Joey grinned smugly. "Sure. Who should I make it out to?"

"Just Mori would be just fine."

"Sure thing." Joey quickly signed his name on the man's forehead and took a picture with him before Mori ran away.

"See that? People still know who the champ is around here...besides you Yugi. There's no beatin' the King of Games!"

"Sure there is. I've lost before, and one of those times was to you, Joey."

"When was that?" Mai asked. "Surely we'd all know about it Joey Wheeler beat the King of Games. He'd never stop talking about it."

"It wasn't you that I dueled, it was the Pharaoh. It doesn't count. The Pharaoh was the one who lost both of those duels. That's how you wound up in the belly of the beast."

"That Pharaoh and I were a team!" He protested. "We made decisions together."

"Still don't count." Joey insisted.

Yugi sighed. Joey really wasn't going let this go. "Fine. You can't deny that I lost that duel to Jaden Yuki fare and square."

"I'm not entirely convinced that you didn't just let him win because he was a kid," Joey huffed.

"He was no older than Yugi was when he defeated the creator at his own game." Tea pointed out.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Even if you did lose, and I'm not say'in you did, then that would make you number two and me number three."

Tristan grinned evilly. "Actually that would push you even farther back. That would make Kaiba number 3. "

Joey was shooting death rays at his long time friend with the intensity of his glare. "Cheer up Joey, you're still in the top 100. You've come a long way from the guy who needed luck to win all of his duels for him."

"Why I oughtta-"

"Come on Joey, I think we've done enough window shopping. If looking at Duel Monsters Cards is enough to rile you up then we're going to find something else to do." Joey and Mai hauled Joey and the others followed.

"Wait, you forgot your card!" The owner shouted behind them.

"Fine, what else can we do?"

"I've got an idea." Joey exclaimed.

Twenty minutes later they were sipping comfortably sipping milkshakes for their usual booth. "Do you know what this needs?" Tristan asked, stirring his straw around his milkshake glass. "Liquer. I could really use a buzz right now."

Tea made a face. "That's disgusting! Who does that?"

He shrugged. "I have this work buddy who introduces me to all sorts of weird stuff. It's actually not too bad."

"I was just thinking, why do all of our get togethers involve food?" Tristan asked, slurping his vanilla milkshake loudly. "When did we all become such boring adults? Sure, I sometimes still go to the arcades and get drinks with some work buddies, but when was the last time you went to the carnival, or went ice skating, or did something that was not related to work or a duel monsters promotions or Akari? I love doing stuff with the kid, but it's just not the same."

Tea rolled her eyes. "Tristan, do you realize that almost all of our get togethers have always involved food? We've been going to this place since it opened when we were in high school. The only difference is that now I have to watch my figure and we have another female here."

"Tea has a point. If you think about it, our friendship was cemented by food."

"You'll have to remind me Yugi, there's been a lot of food in our lives since then." Joey snagged his wife's milkshake and took a sip out of it. "Yum. I love chocolate."

Mai snatched it away. "Then get your own!"

"Fine." He signaled for the waitress to come and ordered a chocolate milkshake.

"Burgerworld. I'm talking about Burger world." Yugi clarified. He turned to Mai. "Tea worked there while we were in school, even though it was against school rules. We just wanted burgers but Tea saw us and…" he glanced at his wife, "Wasn't happy."

"Didn't you throw our food at us or something?" Joey narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember.

"That was also the first time that I noticed Yugi acting differently since putting together the puzzle." She chimed in. Everyone involved tried to avoid mentioning the reason why Yugi acted differently. "I didn't work there long, but it was memorable." Yugi's memories of that night were fuzzy at best, but he remembered Tea being taken hostage by an escaped convict. He had never seen that look of wide eyed terror since. She was horrified and grief stricken when her daughter was taken, but that incident at Burger World was a lifetime ago, one in which she had been just an untried, scared girl and Yugi was just a boy with an ancient artifact and three fledgling friendships.

"That was when you really opened up to us and told us about yourself."

"I don't know about you Tea, but I refuse to get old, and all of this reminiscing is making me feel wrinkly already."

A boy trying to squeeze between tables accidentally tripped over Mai's foot and spilled his milkshake all over Mai. "Watch it Grandma!"

"Why don't you watch it!" Yugi hissed at the boys. "Go home before I call your mother. I know where you live." He was Luke, one of the neighborhood friends. How easy would it be teach that boy a lesson? He could feel his muscles tensing up to reach for his puzzle. The boy was clearly vain, so he would fail the test. His punishment was that he, and only he would, we see himself as old. The waves of fury kept crashing against his chest with every beat of his heart, but he would control them. The punishment wouldn't hurt the boy, so there was really nothing wrong with it! It would be fine. A hand touched his arm, anchoring him to reality, reminding him that he was about to lose his calm.

To Yugi's surprise, it was Mai, not his wife that touched his arm. "Yugi, stand down. It's fine, he's just a kid. Everyone over the age of twenty looks ancient to him. He didn't mean anything by it."

"Go." He growled through grit teeth. The boys ran off. When they were gone Yugi let himself unclench his teeth. He was sweating from the exertion of restraining himself.

"Yugi, you okay man?" Tristan asked, eyeing him carefully.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just think it's sleep deprivation. I haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Why don't we go home and get some rest?" Tea reached into her purse and put enough money to pay for both her and Yugi and the table. She took her husband's arm. "Let's go. If we hurry we might beat Akari home and get some peace and quiet!"

As Yugi came down from whatever it was that possessed him he began to feel increasingly guilty for ruining their evening. They had deserved a night free from all of the trouble that he had brought into their lives. They deserved better than all of this, and it was making him so angry! He couldn't help them, and deep down he thought that should something terrible happen, and he wasn't naive enough to think that something wouldn't happen, he was beginning to doubt that he could save them. He was the one who had unlocked the shadow games, he was the one who failed to stop Bakura, and he was the one who got them involved in the battle between him and Bakura. If he didn't know them they would have been far safer.

"I'm sorry," Yugi whispered.

"It's not your fault. You've had too much on your plate. You've always taken too much on yourself and now it's catching up with you. You were never alone in this, but somehow you seem to feel like it your sole responsibility to stop Bakura."

Yugi stared at her. How had she known what he was thinking? She must have read his face because she rolled her eyes. "I've known you since you were in high school and I'm your wife. I know you well enough to guess what you've been thinking. Even then you always tried to spare others pain, even when you knew that you couldn't defend yourself. Now let's go in, it's starting to get chilly," How odd, he hadn't even realized that they had walked all of the way to his house.

* * *

They had both just settled on the couch, cuddled up against each other under a blanket watching some movie when Yugi's phone buzzed with a text from Akari. Asking if she could stay over for the night. It had gotten dark and she didn't want to travel alone.

The two looked at eachother for a moment, unsure of what to do. "I don't like the idea of her not being here for the night,"

"Wouldn't traveling put her in even more danger? It's going to get dark soon, and there will be no shortage of shadows. She might be safer away from us. He won't know where she is, and if she's not here she won't get caught in the crossfire if anything should happen."

In the end they decided to let her stay there, but the decision had consequences for him and Tea. They spent the whole night worrying. Tea squeezed him tighter. "What if she has a nightmare?"

"Then she'll call us."

"What if she's attacked?" Honestly, Yugi worried about that too. She had no real means of defending herself, and she had already been kidnapped.

"She'll challenge him to a duel, and when she wins he'll be bound by his own shadow magic to let her go. But I that's not going to happen, not tonight." He still worried, but if he mentioned his worries it would only give her ideas and make her fears seem more real. She didn't need to know that he pictured her lying on the ground like Aiko after she lost the shadow game, with her limbs sprawled out and the same look of terror on her face. Who knows what that poor girl had gone through? He thanked whatever gods existed that his own daughter did not have to experience whatever Aiko did, and prayed that she never would. "I'm not sure how I know this, but I can just feel that he's planning something."

"Is this a puzzle thing?" She wondered.

"No, it's a strategy thing. No matter how friendly he is with the shadows his host body is only human, and it will need time to rest after large displays of magic. He'll also need time to plan. Bakura isn't just picking us off based on luck. He has a strategy for all of us. These shadow games are tailored to each one of us-there's no way that's no accident."

Once again Yugi saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. Tea noticed. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Yugi asked.

"That thing that you do where you stare straight in front of you, like you're trying to ignore something." She studied his face carefully. "Are you seeing them again?"

Suddenly Yugi squashed an irrational urge to snap at her. He had to be honest with her, but the way she said it sounded like an accusation even though he knew that she didn't mean it like that. "Yeah, I am. I'm just tired. I think I see them more when I'm stressed," which was all of the time, but he didn't say that.

"I'm going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay." At that moment he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, himself or Tea.

"You should talk to the Pharaoh about this. Maybe he'll have an idea of what's happening."

"How am I supposed to do that? It's not like I have a direct line to the afterlife!" He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it like that. It's just that it's frustrating-things would be much more simple if The Pharaoh was here. He understood the intricacies of shadow magic far better than I ever could."

She lightly kissed his cheek. "I know. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to take a bath, then you're going to take a bath, and we are going to try to relax and act like normal parents whose child decide to have a sleep over."

"What do they do?"

"I don't know, that's a good question. I suppose we'll just have to figure it out like everything else. Maybe we should play a game after dinner."

"How about Duelists Unleashed?" It was the new game released by Kaiba Corporation that he had been meaning to play.

"No way! We're playing Dance Dance Revolution. Do you think that I'm stupid enough to challenge the King of Games?"

"I would have let you win a few rounds!" She was his wife after all, he didn't mind losing a few rounds to her if it made her happy.

"If I win I want it to be on my own merits."

"That's not fair. You'll have the advantage there!"

"Exactly! This time you'll get to see what it's like for the rest of us to play you at something." She patted his arm. "It'll be an educational experience. When was the last time that you lost at anything without purposely trying to lose?" He would sometimes purposefully lose to Akari when he was tryig to teach her how to play Duel Monsters, especially when she was very small. Seto called it coddling, he called it remembering that small children couldn't be expected to as emotionally mature as older children and adults.

"You're on!"

Tea went to cooking dinner and she refused to let him set foot in the kitchen. "You should be resting. Go sit on the couch and put something on!" Another shadow flitted across his vision.

Yugi turned his eyes towards the puzzle. "I really hope that you've got some answers, because I've got none."

He got no answer, not that he had expected anything. Still, he found the familiar weight comforting." He may have gone years without it, but wearing it around his neck felt like the most natural thing in the world. Did the others feel this way about their items? Pegasus seemed pretty comfortable with his eye, and Ishizu didn't seem to mind her necklace, but did that mean that they felt the same sense of completion with their items that he felt?

Yugi traced the hieroglyphs on the puzzle and found himself being lulled into a relaxed state by the homey, spicy scent of curry and comforting familiarity with which he traced each line.

"Difficult day?" The Pharaoh perched next to Yugi on a crate on what Yugi supposed was his high school's rooftop, judging from the view. He recognized the row of familiar shops that he used to pass every day on his way to class. He couldn't view their signs, and many of of them had been gone for years, but he could still distinguish the old convenience store from the electronics store.

"Not exactly." The pharaoh quirked an eyebrow, clearly expecting further elaboration. "I've been seeing the shadows again. I thought that they were gone, but suddenly they're everywhere, and then...there was this boy. He called Mai old and I just _snapped_. I don't know what happened. One minute I was fully prepared to scold him, and the next I was ready to challenge him to a penalty game. I feel like I'm losing it. I feel like I'm…"

"Look at me Yugi," The Pharaoh said kindly, but firmly, " You are not going crazy."

Yugi looked him in the eyes, but didn't really hear him because he was wrapped up in his own sense of panic. "Am I losing it? Am I…" Yugi began to tremble, "...Am I becoming evil?"

"Listen to me. A soul like yours could never truly be evil. If I know you as well as I think I know you, you are are trying to carry too much of the burden alone in order to protect your friends. But Yugi, if Kingdom could not be governed or saved alone is it is not hubris to believe that the world could be saved alone?"

"I've never tried to save the world alone!" No matter what happened his friends were always there beside him keeping him in line, giving him hope, rescuing him, and working as a team when the job was too difficult for one person. They were the reason he was still alive today.

"Perhaps not, but you take the blame for every defeat, failure, and struggle that your friends and family endure. Do you not consider them your equals?" The Pharaoh held up a questioning brow.

Yugi felt his fingers curl into fists. "Of course I do!" His friends were some of the strongest people that he knew and were unwaveringly loyal. Even if they were not blood relatives they were all family, even Seto.

"Then surely you believe that they have the agency to choose their own actions."

Yugi groaned. "Why do you always have to be right?"

"That's my job," He reminded Yugi.

"Being a Pharaoh has made you full of yourself." Yugi teased.

"You could stand to be a little more proud, you know." He shot back.

"Isn't pride typically considered a bad thing?"

"You truly are a man of your time!" The pharaoh laughed. "I still stand by what I say. Men with pride don't throw themselves in front of a bus when there is another way to save them."

"I never did that!" Yugi protested.

"It's a metaphor Yugi."

Here they were reverting back to being teenagers again. What was it about being around an ancient spirit that made him feel so young? "I know it's a metaphor. I still don't do that."

For a brief moment Yugi thought that he saw his old friend's expression shift into one of despair, but it quickly vanished.

"You do, and you don't have the slightest clue how dangerous it really is."

Author's Note:

Hi guys! I'm sorry for this really, really, really long wait. I struggled with this chapter and tried to write it a couple of different ways, but nothing stuck. Please let me know what you think with a review.

-TheEagerScribbler


	26. The Clock Starts Ticking

**Author's Note:**

Hi guys! I'm really excited for this chapter. I've never written Ishizu's pov before and it's interesting. She has a different knowledge base than Yugi or Kaiba, so that leaves different tools to her (therefore my) disposal.

There are three main things to take note of.

 _1)_ In previous versions of the chapter I had it so that Atem's father doesn't find out how the items are made until after because I find it unrealistic that he wouldn't know. Wouldn't a pharaoh have spies. I have slightly re-written the scene so that he finds out soon after and blame himself. You'll understand why this is relevant shortly. _This may be a slight deviation from canon_ , but how do you keep something like the massacre of Kul Elna a secret? Surely someone would have over heard a soldier or someone else talk about it after the fact. This never made sense to me so I'm ignoring it.

 _2)_ This character includes a character whose last name is Honda. He is not related to Tristan (remember, I am using English names) but I wanted to honor the original source material. I hope that this doesn't cause any confusion.

 _3)_ I don't remember anyone actually telling Yugi and the others how the items were made. Once again, for the sake of the story assume they weren't given a real explanation. _The only people who know are Atem & co in the afterlife and The Spirit of the Ring._

I'm sorry to those of you who have subscribed to this story and may have several versions of this chapter sitting in your inbox. The indicators that I used to mark the gory scene would not convert. I also fixed a mistake.

 **Thanks to:** _YamiMayonaka, Angiembabe, and lalalei_ for your support throughout my story! Your reviews have meant a lot for me. Also thanks to _webeta123 and Draco'sfairmaiden_ who have put up with me rambling about this story in real life for around two years.

 **Dedication** : To Grandaddy. Your your quick wit, sharp humor, and unwavering love for your family will be missed.

-TheEagerScribbler

 **WARNING** : This chapter has a gory scene that is more graphic than what I usually write, but it shouldn't be enough to change the reading. However, it may be disturbing to some readers, so I will indicate where it begins and ends by bolding the first and last sentence. I will always warn you guys if there is a graphic scene (with me it will be violence-I don't write scenes of a sexual nature). I've been told that it's not that bad, but since I rarely write scenes like that I wanted to warn you in case that isn't what you've signed up for.

Chapter 26: The Clock Starts Ticking

Ishizu locked herself away in her part of the suite style hotel room that her brother had insisted they share out of fear of her safety.

"Sister? Are you okay in there?"

The frustration of losing focus was almost enough to make her swear at her younger brother. "Yes, I'm fine. I was simply trying to meditate. Perhaps I am the true obstacle to my visions."

"If you're sure…" he trailed off.

"I am." He finally left her alone so that she could find peace again. Ishizu and Marik had both been steeped in the old ways since birth. She, however, was their true keeper, and neither of them denied it. Most of his life had been spent trying to escape the past. For all of his early life it had shackled him in the dark to a life that he did not want. For Ishizu it was different. Where he found oppression, she had found purpose. Her mother had passed knowledge of the ancient rites and language onto her. Over time it had become increasingly clear to her that her knowledge was the reason why she was chosen to bear the necklace, despite only being a girl, and therefore unable to carry on the family legacy.

Her connection to the necklace was still strong-she knew it instinctively in the same way that she knew how to wiggle a toe without having to think about the mechanics of moving each muscle. Even so, something was still blocking her. It could have been anything from the shadows to her own lack of concentration. In the beginning, she had thought that meditation was the answer to all of her problems. It did help to a certain extent-she would manage to see things more clearly for a few seconds before it became harder to focus in, but listening to her necklace in its current state still gave her a headache because it was like trying to listen to a staticky radio station for hours at time.

Perhaps it was time to call upon the goddess Isis. Magic was her domain, and she was a protector goddess. Maybe she could provide some clarity. It was obvious to Ishizu that they could use as much of both as she could get. She got down on her knees and recited the invocation of Isis. " _Hear me, O Lady Isis, hear and save. Lift up thy voice to aid me in this critical hour. Lift up thy voice most musical. Cry aloud, O queen and mother, to save me from that I fear most. I invoke thee to initiate my soul. The whirling of my dance, may it be a spell and a link with thy great light, so that in the darkest hour, the Light may arise in me and bring me to thine own glory and incorruptibility..._ " Once she was finished she went back to meditating, and as suddenly as the items reappeared she was swept away by the tide of her visions. The feeling nearly consumed her. It was adrenaline. It was power. Her heart pounded faster and faster like a drum speeding until it reaches its zenith. None of her visions had ever done this to her before and it scared her. Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she wondered if this was the goddess trying to impress the importance of the vision on her.

* * *

 **She saw fire.** An entire village was set ablaze, and those who were not killed in the fire were cut down by swords like stray weeds in a field.

"You must kill them all! Not a single one can be left alive if we are to succeed!" The man in charge was dressed richly. He was a noble at least, perhaps kinsmen to the Pharaoh.

This vision was so vivid that she could smell the metallic tang of blood and the terrible screams coming from every direction.

A woman standing in front of a house that hadn't been completely demolished by flame knelt down with her three children behind her and a soldier in front. "You can have me, but please spare them! They're just-" Before she had even finished her plea her head had been swiftly removed from her shoulders in front of the children. The children tried to run, desperation showed clearly in their eyes, but it was no use. They quickly met the same fate as their mother.

Ishizu nearly threw up each time she heard the sickening thud of the heads hitting the ground and saw the blood flow from where their heads should have been.

A boy with white hair ran through the alley, narrowly avoiding the eyes of soldiers. Careful to avoid being seen, he soundlessly darted from corner to corner until he approached the edge of village and then he ran faster than she had ever seen anyone run. Overwhelming grief filled Ishizu, and it was all that she could do to stay upright. There was no stopping the tears that streamed down her face. The massacre that she was currently witnessing may have happened millennia ago, but these were still her people. How could she stand to watch them be slaughtered? Why was the goddesses making her watch this?

 **As suddenly as the horrifying vision happened she found herself in a different one.**

A pharaoh anxiously paced the floor. It was not her Pharaoh, but there was certainly a family resemblance. He looked more mature, but he had the same cheek bones and the same eyes that Yugi had described to her. Dark circles were etched onto his regal features, and he looked almost gaunt. Now she she was clearly witnessing the aftermath of a tragedy.

"My Pharaoh." A priest whose name she vaguely recalled as Shimone from past visions asked, "Is something troubling you? I don't think that I've seen a single bite of food cross your lips all day. Come to think of it, I don't remember you eating yesterday either."

"Did I make the right decision?" The man stopped his pacing to look at his priest. "How do we know that those items will not bring us further into oblivion? How could I not have known that the price would be so steep? Nothing in this world is free, especially such great power. Such magic...is it really worth the price of my people?"

Something in Shimone's body language softened, and he said, not unsympathetically, "For great gains there must always be a great price. Such a sacrifice was regrettable, but necessary. Those items will be instrumental in purging the corruption from our land. They aren't just made of earthly metal-it is formed from the magic and shadows, and the price was the hundreds of souls within the Village of Kul Elna." The priest's face was lined with age and wisdom, but it was clear that the certainty of the necessity came from a place of reluctance.

Ishizu intuitively understood what they were talking about. The massacre that she had just witnessed was orchestrated in order to create sacrifices for the millennium items. The thought made her sick. Her necklace burned against her skin, and she wanted to hurl is far away and end this vision. Intellectually she understood how the items had saved her and the world, but she still found herself wondering how good could possibly come from such evil?

"Does that negate the evil that we have done? I have betrayed my people in the worst way possible by not preventing their slaughter."Viewing the past objectively was imperative to correctly interpreting what she was seeing, but she so desperately wanted to say that it was because he _had_ betrayed his people by allowing it to happen.

"You are thinking this way because you are a good King and they are yours to guard, but my King, but please remember that they were just criminals. The village was mostly populated by thieves of the worst kind. We chose that village because the magic of the shadows requires such souls." There was a brief pause. "Please be careful. There is always danger in using such magic. A weaker person may become corrupted. I have no reason to believe that will happen to you, but the side effects have yet to be determined." Thieves and criminals...that explained a great deal. The evil that was in their hearts had created the items...including the items around Yugi's neck.

The pharaoh turned the newly created metal pyramid in his hands. "All victories require sacrifice." He murmured. "But how do you know when the sacrifice is too much?"He gazed at Shimone with tired eyes, and received no response.

Yet again she found herself in a third vision. To shown more than two in a row was rare-usually she was brought out of it by an outside force or she was unable to watch the whole vision. It was a bit like reading an article on the internet and then losing the page due to a bad connection. This time was something else. She felt as fully present in this one as the others, but everything seemed a bit fuzzy on the edges.

"Ishizu, can you hear me?" A man dressed in full Pharaoh's regalia addressed her directly. Her hand went to her mouth in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She was quite aware of who he was-He had the same angular face as Yugi and similar features, but the man standing before her was more regal, more imposing. There was only one man that she knew that fit that description. This was the Pharaoh whose tomb she had been protecting since her birth.

In answer she knelt to the ground. "My pharaoh."

"Rise my servant," he commanded rather formally in the ancient tongue. "After all you have done in my name I should be bowing to you."

Suddenly he blinked. "You can see me?" The sudden shift in expression was comical and reminded her of Yugi so strongly that she nearly laughed.

"Yes, my King, I am able to see you."

"We don't have much time. I'm not supposed to be talking to you like this, but Mahad managed to connect us using the magic of your necklace. I don't know what is happening with Yugi, but it appears to worsen in severity as time goes on. You must stop ignoring my warnings to go to Egypt. I understand that you believe that you will be at a disadvantage because of Kaiba and Mokuba's relative inexperience with the items and your struggle to find a way of weakening him, but your items will be stronger in Egypt. I will have more power, and you can come up with a plan during your journey! You must end this soon!"

Something that he had said made everything click. It dawned on Ishizu that her visions had given her the answer to some of their more pressing problems. The Pharaoh wasn't going to like what she had to say, but she had faith that he was not the sort of ruler that would rather hear pretty lies and the truth."My brother received a message from Tea. I believe that he is beginning to become corrupted by shadow magic."

"That's not possible. Yugi is the strongest soul that I know!"

"I agree. He's fighting it my King, but I don't know how much longer he will be able to push it back."

The pharaoh opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He squared his shoulders, looking every bit a great and powerful pharaoh, and then said, "Perhaps you're right. If that is the case I will have to consult Mana, Mahad, and my priestess Isis. Perhaps they will know-" suddenly the vision started to go grainy. "I'm out of time! Be careful! And-"

Her eyes snapped open and she was in her room again. Her heart was pounding and her senses were still overloaded from the sheer magnitude of everything that she had just seen. Things had become so grave that even the Pharaoh broke some sort of law to warn her. There was not time to waste. Ishizu threw the door open and stood in the doorway.

"I think that it's time to fetch the others."

* * *

There was something in the air that night, but Yugi tried to ignore it as he walked through the empty streets, which were eerily silent as he quickly made his way to Ishizu's museum of the benefits to having one of the most foremost scholars in Egyptology on your side is that she could secure a private exhibit viewing. He would have felt worse about taking advantage of his connections if he wasn't doing it for a cause.

For some reason, he felt like he needed to be close to the tablets again, although Yugi wasn't entirely sure what he expected. Maybe he subconsciously expected for the magic to speak to him somehow, for the ancient tablet to solve all of his problems. They didn't speak back, but he never truly expected them to. He came to speak with Ishizu and analyze the tablets with fresh eyes. Maybe there was something that he missed as a bright-eyed teenager that couldn't even read hieroglyphs. Despite the necessity of this outing he didn't want to be outside any longer he had to. Admittedly, it was already starting to get to him. He had spent at least the previous block pretending to himself that he had not seen shadows. Luckily his haste had made him five minutes early, so he arrived there without realizing.

Ishizu greeted him as he walked in. "Hello Yugi"

"Come right this way." She led him down a familiar path which led to the basement. It was the same room that she had taken him to the first day that they had met. "Please forgive the ridiculous theatrics. They insisted the museum should resemble and Egyptian tomb. When I did as they asked they insisted that I redecorate. Apparently, what they wanted was the popular image of an Egyptian tomb, so I was forced to sacrifice accuracy for the sake of entertainment. They even insisted that I have a replica of King Tut's sarcophagus despite that he comes from the wrong period in time!" To think that he had been half convinced that the stress couldn't get to her...

"At least you'll be enticing people to learn about Egyptian history. That's something."

She sighed a little. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, you're not here to discuss the finer points of period authenticity."

"I was hoping to see the tablets again."

She didn't even question his decision. "Of course. I'm sure that you still have many questions to be answered." Something about her intense gaze made him uncomfortable, like she was looking into his soul.

Yugi gave her a wordless nod and then walked to the stones. This was the first time in years that he had seen them. Now they were in fragments, but he knew immediately what they looked like whole. In his mind's eye, he could put it back together like a puzzle.

It occurred to him that he probably shouldn't be touching the priceless ancient artifact, but he had the overwhelming desire to run his fingers across the stone. He knew all about the rivalry between the Pharaoh and his priest who was led astray by The Dark One, and how in order to save the world he had to erase his own memory and sacrifice his life to save the world. That was old news.

Its story was permanently etched in his memory, but he hoped for something that he couldn't even identify.

"Pharaoh, why am I here?" He murmured. "I feel like I'm supposed to be here, but why?" Nothing. Maybe he just wanted a miracle desperately enough that he was grasping for something that wasn't really there.

"Yugi." She startled him. He had forgotten that she was there. "If you had not come tonight I would have contacted you. Things have become dire. We must make our way to Egypt before something terrible happens. I have received a message from the Pharaoh. Now is the time." How often had they had this exact conversation in one form or another? The Pharaoh said to go but the Priest said to stay. Who were they supposed to listen to?

Yugi was no fool. The things he saw weren't normal, and neither were the mood swings. They were rapidly reaching the point of no return and needed to do something before things became more dire than they already were. Nobody wanted to be responsible for the apocalypse. Even though her logic was sound it irritated him. No. That feeling had to be stamped down. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't be feeling this way. Both of them knew that the decision could quickly be taken out of their hands if they waited much longer. "Before I become evil, you mean?"

"Among other things. Does it not make sense to go to the place that is the origin of our strength?"

"We'll have to talk to the others."

"Of course, that is to be expected."

"Before you go Yugi, we need to talk." She motioned for him to sit down next to her on a bench.

Yugi waited with dread. Nothing good ever came from a conversation that began with those dreaded words. "What is it Ishizu?"

For once she did not seem to know what to say. Didn't her visions of the future tell her what to say? What if she was holding out on them? No, Ishizu wouldn't do that. Snap out of it Yugi, he thought. Ishizu wouldn't do that. "I saw a vision of the past today at the end of my prayer and meditation."

"Are you aware of how the millennium items were made?"

"No."

"During the reign of Pharaoh Aknamkanon, the father of the formerly nameless pharaoh, the seven millennium items were created in order to save the land from its own corruption. That kind of magic always has a price, and his was steep-It required the souls of human sacrifices, leading to the slaughter of the villagers of a village called Kul Elna. That is where the origins of both the Thief King and the Millennium items lie."

Yugi felt his face heat up. Everything good in his life came at the expense of hundreds if not thousands of humans. How...how could any single person be worth that much? "I believe that is why the users of the items are so prone to corruption."

"They're tainted with evil, so the users can also become easily warped." He ran a finger over the puzzles edges, but it didn't bring him the same comfort that it used to. He felt _dirty_.

"There's no way to stop it." Perhaps it was time to resign himself to the fact that there was no saving him.

"Only you can stop it." Of course it all made sense in a screwed up sort of way. The one person who was the least qualified to rescue anyone was charged with the task of protecting humanity from evil. He had to overcome the evil in his soul in order to fight evil using and object literally created from corrupted people. It was an impossible task.

"The items themselves are not inherently evil Yugi, and don't think for even a moment that we will survive without our items. If you give up your puzzle you will kill us all." Bluntness was something that Ishizu was known for, so when said something so bluntly he took it seriously. If he were younger and more naive he might have given up the puzzle like he had tried to during duelist kingdom when he was afraid of the spirit inside, but he could not afford any more screw ups."

"I've taken the liberty of calling the others. They should all be arriving shortly."

"Yugi!" Tea ran up to him and wrapped him up in an enthusiastic hug. "You've been so weird all day. I've been worried!"

"Same, man." Tristan gave him a manly pat on the back.

Joey immediately asked Ishizu. "So what's this that I hear about our future travel plans?"

Mokuba and Seto walked in next. "This had better be important, Yugi." Seto growled. Mokuba's reaction was an eyeroll.

"Honestly Seto, none of this is his fault." Mokuba protested. "He's not even the one that asked us to come! This is why I need my wife here. She's the only person I know who's capable of talking sense into you." He grumbled. "I can't wait until she gets back."

"We get it man, you love your wife." Joey teased.

As usual Mai's timing was perfect. Right after he had finished teasing Tristan she entered the room. "What's going on? Has something happened?"

Joey greeted her with a smile. "Besides Mokuba being a sap? We don't know. All I know is that it's gotta be somethin' big for her to interrupt those two in the middle the work day."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as Mokuba is."

"Focus children." Nobody had seen Pegasus enter. "We're here for a reason." Today he looked almost professional, with a sleek black suit but with a Funny Bunny tie. "Sorry I'm late. I was actually in a meeting the Kaiba boys, but I had to leave momentarily to take care of an important phone call. When I came back they had left without me." As he spoke his eyes gravitated towards the tablet. He must not have realized what he was doing because he forced his eyes away from it and onto them.

Ishizu being, well, herself, began with a declaration of "I have received a message from the Pharoah." He wondered what the Priest thought of all this. Briefly he let his eyes flicker towards Seto, who had narrowed eyes and was rubbing his forehead. Honestly, he should have known better than to think that he wouldn't be unhappy with the declaration.

"He says that the time is rapidly drawing near. If we don't leave soon we will lose everything."

Anger welled up as Yugi saw Seto roll his eyes, but for the what felt like the hundredth time that day Yugi pushed it back down. How much longer would he be able to keep doing that. If shewas too set on being tactful to mention it he would have to. "Ishizu's figured out what's happening to me, and it's not good. The long and the short of it is that the items were created from the corrupted souls of human sacrifices. That's what makes item holders susceptible to corruption, and we think that I'm becoming corrupted. Right now we think that the only way for me to stop this is to stop using the puzzle." The rest was left unsaid.

"You can't afford that, can you? Not until Bakura's gone and this is all over." Mai said gravely. "You're right. We don't have time to waste. We've been training. We're as going as we're going to get before we have to leave. Putting it off isn't doing much to help anyone anyway. If anything, it's making us more vulnerable because he knows where we are."

Mokuba and Seto looked at each other. "We need a week. There's an important announcement that we need to make and I refuse to let my company suffer someone decided that taking over the world sounds like a good idea."

Tristan snorted. "That sounds like Kaiba. Not even the impending apocalypse can keep him away from the conference room."

Mokuba immediately jumped in to avoid further remarks about his brother and the apocalypse. "We know it's urgent, but if the world doesn't end it would really like a job at the end of it."

"Come on, let's at least go for five! This is urgent here!" Joey protested. "It's probably a good idea to listen to Pharaoh. Hasn't anyone else noticed that the longer we put off leaving the more bad stuff happens?"

Yugi could tell from something in Mokuba's expression that he was about to make some sort of biting remark, but Mokuba stopped him before the words could leave his mouth. "I think this is a good idea. You can even spin giving the announcement early as a publicity stunt. We can leave in four days. That should be enough time to make the necessary arrangements. My wife should be back by then. I've told my wife about what's happened. She's not happy that I waited so long to tell her what's happened, and asking her to stay has made her even more angry, but I think that she'll see reason and stay to look after my son and Akari. We need someone to stay and look after the children just in case…" He trailed off for a moment, but continued, "Honestly, I'd feel better knowing that someone's here that can defend them and take care of them. She's smart, so I know that they'll be safe. I didn't even bother asking Tea because we all know what the answer would be."

"Dream on Mokuba. I was with Yugi the first time and I won't abandon everyone now!" He motioned towards her.

"See?"

Surprisingly, even Seto had an opinion. "I want her there because she's the only one I trust to run the company if something happens to us. Before we leave I'll transfer enough money into her account to buy a large enough share in the company."

"Seto, I agree that Risa is an intelligent person, but her expertise lies in other areas." Her expertise was in three main areas- baking, law, and motherhood. She knew a little about programming because she wanted to be able to keep up with Seto and Mokuba during conversations, but Yugi wondered if she would even want to take over Kaiba Corporation.

She then turned to Mai. "Are you sure that I can't convince one of you to stay with them? I'd feel much knowing that Akari was with you. If something happens to us she'll need a good support system. I love Risa, but she's only one person.."

Mai put her arm around Tea. "No Tea. I've seen firsthand how even the support of friends can be absolutely critical to victory. We're already overwhelmed, the last thing we need to do is lessen our all of us go we'll all be more likely to come back alive and we won't need to worry about who gets guardianship of the kiddos and who will be running Kaiba Corporation."

Pegasus beamed at them. "It's settled then. Kaiba boy, I nominate you to be our ride. Now's not the time to trust commercial airlines."

"It's not a large jet." Kaiba protested.

Pegasus carelessly countered Seto's protests. "We're hardly a crowd."

"There won't be enough seats." Seto was becoming increasingly irritated with Pegasus. He had a fairly short fuse on the best of days, and interruptions in his daily schedule other than someone calling to tell him that a deal went through could not be considered such a day.

"It's a good thing that we have two couples to conserve space then, hm?" He waggled his eyebrows, making even Yugi roll his eyes. Pegasus' immaturity was mostly an act, so they all would have appreciated if he waited until later to show act this way.

"You can hire your own private jet. You're not exactly destitute Pegasus." Kaiba had a good point.

"Not like Kaiba Corporation, my boy. You should know." Please don't elaborate further. He silently begged Pegasus. The last thing they needed was to truly make him angry.

He met Yugi's eyes and sighed. "I could, but you can't trust anyone these days. You should know."

For a moment Yugi wondered if Seto was actually going to hit Pegasus. When was the last time that he had seen him this angry? Didn't Pegasus know by now that alluding to his own scheme to take over Kaiba Corporation was not the way to get into the good graces of the Kaiba brothers? The only reason they still dealt with Pegasus at all was because Seto was skilled at keeping a tight lid on his emotions.

"Fine, you win. I'll find us a private plane big enough to take everyone. You can either fly it yourself or control the pilot with that rod of yours. Better?"

Seto's phone started buzzing. Without any care to the audience he picked up his phone. "Yes?"

"I told those morons to allocate the funding to the research division. The new design requires experimental technology!"

There was a pause. "I'm on my way."

"If there's anything else, email me. Or text Mokuba. If I get any other calls today it had better because there is a true emergency. By that, I mean don't call me unless someone is dead, dying, in the hospital, kidnapped, or you overhear someone attempting a hostile takeover of my company. Is that clear?"

"We hear you loud and clear Kaiba. It's not like anything actually serious is happening. We're only trying to save the world." Seto ignored Tristan and left.

Yugi himself needed to go back to the shop so he said his goodbyes and left with Tea.

* * *

The next four days passed in a blur with everyone pretending that nothing out of the ordinary was about to happen. The only real indication was that Yugi and Tea had made an effort to spend more time than usual with Akari. It had dawned on them that this might be the last time they get to be together as a family again. He had to stop thinking like that. They would all make it home alive. He had to believe in their new mantra-if they could do it as teenagers they could do it as adults. He couldn't make his wife a widow or his daughter and orphan. They had to come out in one piece.

Each night they had played a different game with Akari and allowed themselves to get more into it than usual. When Akari broke out the new Dungeon Dice Monsters game he had expected Tea to protest, but all she said was, "Duel Monsters is already problematic for several reasons. At least this one was about a two on the danger scale." She had a point.

Akari had already beaten Tea and was now playing Yugi. She was a hair away from gaining the lead. "Do you really think I'm ready to pass the torch yet? You've still got a lot to learn. I'm not ready for you to beat me until I go completely grey."

"I'm guessing that will happen in the next hour or two then, because you're not doing so well."

"Hey! I played the game once twenty years ago!"

"Why once?"

Oh boy. How could he say this in a way that wouldn't upset Joey when he found out? "I had to win a game to get your Uncle Joey out of a tight spot. I had to learn the rules on the spot to defeat the creator of the game."

She stared at him. "You can't be serious. You beat both Maximilian Pegasus and Duke Devlin at their own games?"

He smirked. "To be fair, there's an element of luck in Dungeon Dice Monsters."

"Unbelievable. Why couldn't I inherit that ability?"

Tea laughed, nearly choking on the sip of her drink that she had just taken. "You took after me but have your father's talent for strategy. It would be terribly unfair to the rest of us for you to also inherit his luck."

Yugi laughed at the face she made and ruffled her hair. "Actually, I think you are pretty lucky. You didn't inherit my messy hair or my height. Besides, you don't need any more luck. You're smart, skilled, and talented, and you have a whole lot of people who love you!"

She was still smoothing her hair back into place when she made her next move. "Thanks Dad, love you too, but can you pleeeease stop being mushy now? It's kind of scaring me a little."

Tea grabbed her daughter in a sudden hug. "Nope. Not until you admit to what a wonderful person you are!"

"I'mawonderfulperson! Now please let me go!" Tea did as she said.

Their joy and laughter made the air in the room warm. With his daughter, he felt complete contentment. Little moments like this, where they were all together in the same laughing and being ridiculous, were the ones that he treasured above all others. These were the moments that he was fighting for.

Author's Note:

Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. After months of writing and re-writing parts of this chapter I somehow ended writing a large portion of it in the span of two days. I tried several different perspectives and different beginnings, but none of them felt right. In case you're curious about how the discussion with Mokuba and his wife Risa will go, you'll get to read about it in the outtakes in the near future, so keep an eye out for the next installments of _Magic and Monsters_. I have several pieces for it in the works and I will most likely publish them close together.

I've got some good news for you guys who are still reading: I have about half of chapter 27 written already. I've had a little bit of one of the more important scenes written for months now. This is a big one because some important stuff happens. Hang in there you guys, we're finally getting closer to the climax of the story! We're almost there. Thanks for your patience. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter! As I have probably said many times in the past, this story is partially experimental so feedback is welcome. Please let me know what you think in a review!

-TheEagerScribbler


	27. Ghosts

_Author's Note:_ I really need to stop promising you guys updates 'soon'. I've gone back and forth about how to write and pace this part of the story and somehow this wound up becoming a beast of chapter. I also had to put off updating for a while due to finishing my senior thesis and studying for the praxis exam (it's an exam that teachers need to pass to get their teaching license). A great deal of thought was put into this chapter, so I hope that you guys like it.

 **Warning:** I named a character Honda to honor the original Japanese version of the series, but this Honda person is NOT Tristan Taylor. Hopefully that's clear, but I wanted to say something just in case.

 _Recap:_ After a kidnapping, a rescue, and several shadow games Aiko's soul has been taken and Yugi is fighting the shadows that are threatening to corrupt him. Visions of the past have revealed the origin of the millennium items and the Pharaoh tapped into the power of the necklace to warn Ishizu that time is running out. They are finally about to go Egypt to confront Bakura because it is where the items and Atem are the strongest.

Thanks to all of my readers, especially lalalei and angiembabe whose reviews are always encouraging and helpful. I'm impressed with the patience and maturity of all of my readers!

Thanks,

TheEagerScribbler

Ghosts

"We leave tonight." Yugi said with a glance at his calendar. Call him old fashioned, but he still liked the paper kind that he could cross off days on. Looking at all of the crossed of days made their impending journey seem more real.

"How can you be thinking about that when we have to worry about leaving the house in half an hour? You're not even dressed yet!" Yugi saw Tea looking at him through the mirror as she ran a brush through her hair.

At times like this Yugi looked at Tea and wondered how he had been lucky enough to find someone who was so tolerant of all of the weird things that suddenly happened around them. Of course Tea was frightened, all of them were, but she had a certain resilience that held them together when things got rough. Even now that Yugi himself was becoming increasingly unstable and the others were on edge she handled it with an impressive coolness. It was so like his wife to them grounded to reality so that they could focus on daily life. "Sorry, I just keep thinking-"

"You should be thinking about what suit you're wearing Duel Academy Today. You know that Seto will be there and he'll be dressed to the nines."

"What?" Yugi grabbed his phone off the nightstand and began scrolling through his email. It was waiting in his spam box. It was a good thing that he had apparently sent one to Tea too.

With all of their other worries he had completely forgotten that he and Seto still needed to announce the latest tournament. Everything had happened so fast that he only vaguely remembered the conversations surrounding this most recent incarnation of the battle city tournament. This time he slowly planned to issue a series of announcements over the span of a year in order build tension and today's speech would be the first of many. Yugi had agreed to come and and answer question from the students.

"Um, Tea, I think you're trying a little too hard. We'll be fine." Once she finished putting the finishing touches on her hair she immediately began to rummage through Yugi's wardrobe to find something suitable.

Tea sighed "Honestly Yugi, you can't just show up in your pajamas!" She found a navy suit and white shirt. He raised an eyebrow. It reminded him of a grown up version of his old school uniform. It was an old suit that he hadn't worn in ages for just that reason. When he told her so she merely laughed. "That's the point. You have an image, and I love you enough to not let you leave the house with all that leather. You're a grown man, not some teenager trying to seem tough!" Yugi nearly pointed out that he would be fine dressing the way that he had for past tournaments that he had made an appearance at, but he decided against it. Now was not the time to nitpick.

She threw the suit into his arms and began to look for matching shoes. "I know you have a nice pair in here somewhere."

"They should be at the end of the row of my shoes in the closet." He didn't have that many pairs, so it shouldn't have been that hard to find. By the time he had finished buttoning up his shirt he heard his wife exclaim "Found them!" He put them and stood in front of a mirror.

"I'm capable of dressing myself you know."

"Of course you are. It's just that I wanted to speed things along a little so that we're not late. Seto will have our heads if we're not there at 9:00 on the dot!" He shrugged on the jacket and stepped into the shoes, looking at himself in the mirror.

"I look official," was all Yugi could think to say.

A sparkle lit Tea's eye as she moved to stand next to him. "You look like the King of Games."

"I'm not the King of Games anymore." That title had been passed on to Jaden Yuki a few years ago.

"Once a king always a king. Let's not forget that even if you're not number one you're still one of the strongest in the world. I'm not entirely convinced that you didn't let the boy win because you had some romantic notion of passing the torch."

Seto called at 8:45. As usual his was brief and would have seemed rude coming from someone else."If you're not here in 14 minutes I'm leaving without you." He hung up the phone before they got a word in edgewise.

"I get why he needs you there. But why does he want me there too? I'm not a duelist, and I'm not even involved in the running of the tournament!"

"Maybe he thinks that you can keep me in check if I start to become unbalanced."

Something in Tea's eyes told him that she wanted to argue, but one glance at the clock told them that they were going to be late if they didn't leave."Well, I guess none of that matters unless we get there soon. Seto might just throw us off the plane if we're late."

They were each greeted with a nod when they made to the jet at 8:59 in the morning."Thanks for the ride Seto! Wow, I swear, this place looks more impressive everytime I see it!"

Seto scoffed. "I _am_ the head of a company that specializes technology. It would look bad if it didn't."

"You just like playing with your dragons!" Yugi chuckled a bit at Teas' accusation against Seto.

Their old friend scowled. "Any sort of public transportation is a security risk from humans and monsters. If we have to travel it has to be this, and I am not delaying any more business because of this mess." There it was. He was waiting for the real reason why Seto would allow anyone inside of his prized jet.

He had them there in 45 minutes flat. "It sure beats taking that boat." Yugi mumbled. It wasn't that he got terribly boat sick, he just didn't like them that much. The last time he took a boat to Duel Academy he spent the entire ride wishing he were already there. "Tell me about it." Tea agreed just as they landed. Seto stepped out first. He was wearing a little microphone as he addressed the audience while the other two were still disembarking the plain.

He stood directly in front of the jet, and Yugi was at his right. Tea stood next to him, subtly squeezing his hand, looking for comfort."I have come to announce a tournament unlike any other, one to beat even the Battle City Tournament, which is still lauded as the most innovative tournament in the world! It will be hosted exactly one year from today and will be called The Second Battle City. But make no mistake, this is not the same tournament! The prizes will be bigger, the competition fiercer, the game itself will be more challenging, and new technology unlike anything you have seen before will be unveiled." Seto faced the audience with the ease of a practiced performer. Over the years he had perfected the art of working up a crowd. The audience of mostly school children held onto his every word as though he were a rockstar or an actor, which was quite an achievement if his own experience with child rearing were anything to go by. He paused for a moment, to give them a chance to react, and then continued. "The first Battle City was one of the largest gatherings of Duelists ever, but this tournament is something else entirely. It will introduce Kaiba Corporation's new Augmented Reality system. They look like a regular pair of classes, but you will find many surprises awaiting you. We will be releasing new details every two months so keep an eye out for the latest announcements! The last thing that we will be announcing today is that the winner will duel Yugi Mutou. Enter, Duelist Academy Students, and show the world what you are made of!"

Somehow Yugi still couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that Dueling him was considered a prize. Yet, looking out into the audience and hearing the sudden buzzing of murmurs from the audience told him that they were excited at the possibility of dueling him.

Seto continued. "Yugi and Tea Muto will both be here for at least the next two hours to answer any questions not related to the tournament. Now Yugi would like to say a few words." Yugi hadn't realized that Kaiba actually expected him to do more than answer questions, so he found himself speaking on the spot.

He handed Yugi the microphone with a glare that clearly told him not to mess up. Why couldn't Seto have confidence in him just this once? Sure he was nervous, but he had done a lot of things while nervous and he had managed just fine! Putting his annoyance aside, what should he talk to them about? Yugi looked to his wife, who only gave him an encouraging smile and motioned for him to move forward. He couldn't tell them anything else about the tournament, so what else could they possibly want to hear from him? He finally looked up at the were all so young. He remembered thinking that he was an adult at that age, but as he looked at them now he saw a sea of faces that had not managed to lose all of their baby fat yet. Some were already fidgeting, and they were still energetic and a tad immature, and possibly scared. For many this would be their first real chance to prove themselves.

"I was seventeen when I first stepped on that ship to Duelist Kingdom. It was my first tournament, and I was the only person with an invitation who had never competed formally. That was nearly 20 years ago, but I can still remember the fear and exhilaration. My grandfather was an excellent teacher, but I knew that I was going to have to face famous duelists like Bandit Keith and Weevil Underwood. I had watched both of them duel on television and knew how skilled they were. How on Earth was a kid like me supposed to win? I reminded myself that if you know your deck, use cards that compliment each other, and have faith in myself and my cards-something that my grandfather referred to as the heart of the cards-then I had a chance. I was no older than one you when I became the King of Games, and perhaps one of you has the ability to surpass some of the best duelists in the world. There's only one way to find out!" Yugi's lips unconsciously curled into a smirk. "I urge all of you to take the leap and try to qualify. You might even surprise yourself! I know I did, and duel monsters has changed my life in more ways than I can count. I've never regretted it." Yugi found that the only way he was ever successful at speaking off the cuff was to pour himself into it. Every word that came out of his mouth was the truth.

He handed the microphone off to one of the teachers. A boy with naturally messy hair like Yugi's at that age approached him. "Mr. Muto, can-" three other kids spoke up at the same time. There had to be a better way to organize all of his-right now he could not hear any individual voices over the babble of the crowd. If he could just find a staff member to take them to the auditorium or lecture hall that the Q and A section was supposed to be held in they could escape the crowd. It was more formal than he'd like, but they were running out of options to manage the crowd. Spotting a staff member should be easy-all he needed to do was look for another adult.

He looked to the children vying for his attention and said,"Excuse me for a moment." They cleared a path for him and he headed straight for a staff member in.

"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"

The man gasped who had been trying to keep some semblance of order turned around to see Yugi and gasped. He looked equal parts frazzled and star struck. Yugi was baffled as to why people treated him like some sort of rock star even after all of these years."Of course Mr. Muto. We were only informed of Mr. Kaiba's arrival yesterday, so are a bit disorganized. There's an auditorium that we use for Dueling competitions. The Q and A session will be held there." He pulled another teacher to the side and explained what was going on. He made the announcement while the other teacher led Yugi there.

The teacher was a stocky man with hair that looked that was beginning to show the first signs of grey. Something about him and the impish sparkle in his eyes reminded Yugi of his grandfather. "Thank you for agreeing to come. The students have been looking forward to your arrival. They can be a bit over enthusiastic, but I am sure that they will be on their best behavior." He noticed that the teacher eyed a group of students standing nearby. "Isn't that right Mr. Takahashi? Ms. Andrews?"

Both of the students were red in the face. They looked up looked up at their teacher. "Sure thing! You know us, we're always on our best behavior!"

The teacher simply sighed and motioned for Yugi to come with him. "Yugi!"

He turned around and saw his wife jogging towards him. "These kids kind of remind me of you when you were at that age! They're all so full of enthusiasm! Although, now that I think about it, it seems like they take it more seriously than even you and Seto did, and that's saying a lot."

Suddenly it dawned on him that he had never introduced his wife or asked for the man's name. Such a lapse in manners at an occasion like this was embarrassing. "Oh, Mr…?"

"Honda."

"Mr. Honda, this is my wife. Tea."

"Hello Mrs. Muto."

"Hi! It's nice to meet you Mr. Honda. We appreciate you accommodating us on such short notice." She paused and then added, "You know, you kind of remind me of a friend of ours."

Mr. Honda shrugged. " I get that a lot. I've been told that I just have one of those faces."

Yugi had been to Duel Academy before so they were spared the usual tour. They did however, try to impress them with their school's accomplishments.

"Last year one of our Alums, Jaden Yuki, won the Championship for the fourth year in a row! I hear that he started off as a bit of an underdog, but we knew right from the start that he had the potential to achieve great things! We're proud of everything that he's accomplished."

Just smile and nod, he reminded himself. A small bubble of anger tried to nudge its way to surface. This was a waste of time. They could be on the way to Egypt right now. It was a small relief that Yugi still retained enough self control to shove those thoughts away. "Yes, Jaden Yuki has come a long way over the years. Hard work and passion can take a duelist far-he reminds me a bit of my old friend Joey." This conversation was turning awkward, and the school setting wasn't helping. When people desperately to impress him he felt like a fraud. As his daughter used to say, he wasn't a celebrity, he was just a normal dad that runs a game shop. He never quite figured out what to do with the attention except to smile awkwardly as someone shoved a picture for him to autograph in his face.

"That's because you've always sided with the underdog." Tea laughed, trying to ease the awkwardness a little bit. She was aware of how much Yugi hated the deference that some people treated him with because of his former title.

Mr. Honda nodded in agreement. "You are absolutely right. To help them with their goals we've implemented a mentorship program where our first year students are paired with an older, higher ranking student. You've always said that the secret to your success, Mr. Muto, was your good mentors. We've taken that advice to heart!"

Yugi nodded, feigning interest. "That sounds like a good idea. No one starts out an expert. We all need advice and mentoring to learn and grow and challenge us." Dispensing this kind of advice made feel older than he actually was. It was exactly the sort of thing his grandpa would say.

They made it to the room with only a bit more chatter and then he found himself standing in front of a podium with his wife sitting in a chair placed in the corner of the room at her request.

"Hello Duel Academy students! My name is Yugi Muto, but I've told that many of you already know that. I'm hear to answer any questions not related to the competition." The room buzzed with anticipation, but no one seemed to want to be the first to ask a question.

Finally someone raised their hand. "Yes?"

"How come you stopped playing Duel Monsters?" The question was asked by a round faced student dressed in Slifer red.

Yugi cleared his throat. He was somewhat relieved that the first question was an easy one. "I have been playing Duel Monsters for over twenty years. To give you an idea of how different the game was, I learned how to play before the first duel disk, so it was mostly played as a tabletop game outside enormous dueling Arenas. Over time it became increasingly intense, and after a while the competition and intensity of the game became exhausting. I decided to retire from the arena so that I could focus on my other commitments and begin to rediscover the joy of playing purely recreationally."

Another hand shot up. This time it was an obelisk girl with a card pendant around her neck.. "Mr. Muto. There's something that I've always wondered. How did you beat the creator at his own game?"

How could he answer this question without having to explain the millennium items? "To be honest, I still ask myself that question. Maximillian Pegasus is a very intelligent and creative individual and knows the game rules inside and out. I think it comes down to everything that I had learned from the people who helped me along the way, my belief in my own abilities, and luck." A little magic didn't hurt either.

"Did you come up with some special strategy to beat him?" A boy with thick glasses asked, his notebook at the ready and most of the students shifted forward slightly in their seats, eager to hear the answer too.

"I tweaked my deck a bit, but what really matters is that your deck works together and you maintain a flexible strategy. You don't want too many spell or trap cards that only work in one specific situation. I knew for a fact that Pegasus had been monitoring the competitions to analyse our strategies, and he had an infinite number of cards at his disposal, so I had to be ready for anything." The one possibility that he had struggled to find a way to deal with was his mind reading, but it wasn't as though he could explain that.

He scanned the room, trying to avoid answering too many question from the same section of the audience. He caught a girl with braids tentatively raising her hand. She was in the process of lowering it when Yugi asked her what her question was. "I have a question for Mrs. Muto, if that's okay."

Yugi motioned for Tea to come and take the microphone. Tea looked at the girl and then the stage in confusion before taking the microphone. "Hi! I'm going to be honest, I wasn't really expecting to get any questions. What did you want to know?"

"As far as I know you've never played competitively, but you've present at nearly every competition Mr. Muto has been in. Is there a reason that you've never competed?"

For a moment Yugi thought that Tea would be embarrassed, but she just scrunched up her face in thought and answered honestly like always. "Truthfully, I like to play for fun sometimes, but dancing is my true passion. I want to devote my time to dance and teaching it the same way that one of you might want to spend your time practicing dueling. With that being said, the reason that I've attended so many competitions over the years is to cheer my friends on. They've worked so hard to get to where they are now, and I want them to know that they will always have my support!" After that question she stepped aside but stood on the stage by his side.

The next question from a sullen looking girl that shook Yugi because of how closely she resembled Aiko. She had the same delicate facial structure and blue eyes. "Lately I've noticed that there's a movement to re-introduce more dragons and spell casters into the game, and I was wondering if you could explain how a modern deck might benefit from these types of cards? My cousin has always been a big fan of the Blue Eyes White Dragon in particular, but I have noticed that she seems determined to find a way to make some other 'classic' cards relevant again." Was it possible that she was a relative of Aiko's?

"That's a good question. You see-"

"Pardon the interruption Yugi boy, but I've come with spectacular news!" Pegasus exclaimed from the hallway. He seemed to enjoy his habit of startling Yugi by showing up without warning. This time he was wearing an almost normal looking suit, although the shade of blue was almost too electric to be traditional.

Yugi stepped to the side so that Pegasus would stand at the podium. "Good morning Ladies and gents, boys and girls, and everyone in between! My name is Maximillian Pegasus, and I am the creator of a little game called Duel Monsters. A little birdy told me that you might know something about that." The crowd chuckled a bit.

"One lucky winner will receive the opportunity to tour Industrial Illusions Headquarters and will receive a special prize . They will be able to pick a copy of any single card to use during the competition! Maybe one day one of you will grace our halls with your talents and unique abilities. Under your seats you shall find a little metal ball. Open it and see what's inside-if you have a green dot you're-"

The audience audibly gasped when the door flung open. "Sorry to interrupt, but this ridiculous game has gone on long enough." Bakura was so heavily cloaked by shadows that Yugi could barely see him standing in the doorway. This time there was something unnatural about him that told Yugi that somehow he had grown more powerful. He confidently strode towards the podium.

Shortly after Seto and his security team appeared at the door. He stood in front looking like someone had just ripped up his blue eyes right in front of him. The clicking of guns being cocked could be heard from where Yugi stood. They pointed the weapons at Bakura. "You're coming with us!" A balding man that stood in front of the rest of the team shouted.

"What happens if I don't?"

"We make you." A short, stocky man came to stand next to the one that had had threatened Bakura. You wouldn't want to force us to gun you down in front of all of the innocent children would you?" If only it were that easy. He'd love nothing more than to point a gun at Bakura and pull the trigger. Objectively he knew why he couldn't. If by some miracle he did manage to kill Bakura he'd also be killing Ryou. Ryou was his friend, of course he didn't want him dead, but if that's what it took he knew that he would understand...what was happening to him? He blinked and shook his head, taking a deep breath. Collateral damage was unacceptable. He would not let anyone die.

"Ah yes, we wouldn't dare take away the innocence of adolescence. Never mind the fact that's been the way of the world for far longer than it has not. By my people's standards they're practically grown adults! However much fun dealing with you lot would be I have more important things to worry about." He created a wall of shadows around the room to keep the guards out but Kaiba,Yugi, Tea, and the students in.

Seto marched up to where Yugi and Tea were standing and made an announcement to the students. "Everyone get down but keep your cards at hand. This man is dangerous but he's still only human." His warning must have sounded odd to the students, but they still did as he said.

Bakura silenced Seto. "That's enough from you Kaiba. You've been promised entertainment and I fully intend to provide it!"

"You mean he's not some sort of creepy ghost or something?" A high pitched feminine voice from near the front asked the boy sitting next to her.

In response he whispered, "I thought he was a demon. Did you see that creepy stuff he did where it got really dark? It still hasn't gone away, and now the security guards can hardly get past the doorway? I don't know what that is, but it's not a magic trick."

"You think that you can walk into my school and threaten the students in front of me? You've got some nerve Bakura! I don't care if you Bakura, a spirit, or the devil himself! You will get out of my school or I will forcibly remove you!" He looked down at the millennium rod. "This hunk of metal has to be good for something!"

Without anymore banter he ordered diabound to attack. For a man quickly approaching 40 Seto was still very fit, especially considering that he had a desk job.

"Shoot him guards!" They raised and then lowered their guns. If they couldn't get into the room then how could a bullet? Seto turned around and raised his rod.

"Shoot Bakura!" The guard raised his gun with blank eyes and pulled the trigger. Somehow the gun made it through the barrier and struck grinning madman. Blood ran down the arm where he had been shot.

Seto smirked. "Like I said, he's only human."

Bakura cackled. "You're wrong! Take a look at my arm now!" He raised it for all to see. The wound was rapidly healing. "Zorc is a part of me. I haven't been completely human in a very long time!"

Even the guards cried out in horror. "What do we do Mr. Kaiba?"

"Evacuate the rest of the school! Keep anyone else from entering. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Mr. Kaiba." Two of them stayed just in case, but Seto's personal body guards stayed.

He smirked at the terrified crowd. He then turned his attention turned back to Pegasus."Enough distractions! I pondered for quite a while about where to stage our game Pegasus, and then I caught wind of this little lottery game and I thought this was absolutely perfect that your last moments should resemble the first time we met." Yugi understood what Bakura really meant by the speech and his theatrics. It was a show of power, reminding them that he was in the position to control where they met in battle. For Yugi and the others this was very bad. Bakura's presence put all of these students in danger and he could not allow that. His mind raced as he tried to find a way to mitigate the damage.

"I can't let you do that Bakura, not here. Let them go! We _are_ at a dueling arena, duel me instead! The winner walks away. Let this be a true game Bakura." Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Unless you're too scared to take on the original king of games." This had to work. A large portion of the school was in attendance and Bakura was blocking the exit. Suddenly he was filled with the overwhelming desire to crush him.

Bakura laughed. "Tempting, but I'm no fool. I have a different game and a different opponent in mind." He turned towards Pegasus. "I'll even give you a sporting chance Pegasus, since I'm feeling rather generous today.

The shadows grew and engulfed the floor of the arena. Someone screamed. "It's simple. We'll duel just like in the old days, only I won't even make you use your own Ka if you don't want to. Pick any two monsters you want and I'll pick just one for mine. They'll act as our champions. If yours win you'll go on to the next round, and if you lose your soul is mine. This should be easy for you Pegasus. You _are_ the creator of Duel Monsters. You must know every monster in existence." Yugi stared at Pegasus, hoping that somehow he could subliminally get a message across. Yugi could think of a few monsters that were incredibly strong but he hoped that Pegasus would have the strength not to summon. What would happen if he tried to summon an Egyptian God or Exodia the Forbidden one? There was a reason that only one copy was made of those cards!

Bakura summoned Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. An ancient looking tablet appeared and the monster stepped out of it. Tea looked at Yugi in question and he cringed in response. It was powerful. It had 2700 attack in the game, so it was not a weak monster. Still, these days 2700 was no as unbeatable as it might have once seemed.

Without a hint of fear Pegasus stared at the monster with narrowed eyes. The wheels were spinning in his head. He had a plan. "I summon Mystical Elf." A beautiful blue elf emerged from a tablet of her own. What was Pegasus doing? "Next I summon Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!" A second tablet appeared and a fairly small, cartoonish dragon stumbled a little as it moved to stand directly in front of Pegasus. Smugness seemed to ooze from the ancient spirit when he heard Pegasus' choices.

"I remember that card. That's Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. It's so cute...how can it stand any chance against that?"

Yugi leaned over to whisper to his wife, "It has the same attack as a regular Blue Eyes." Even though she was not a duelist she had witnessed enough duels with Kaiba to understand the significance of that.

"But why summon Mystical Elf? Is it because of its defense? Didn't you used to use it as some sort of shield?"

"I think that Pegasus is counting on Bakura playing dirty. He says that he wants a traditional Egyptian style duel, but this _is_ the spirit of the millennium ring that we're talking about." Yugi snorted "I wouldn't put it past him to take what aspects of the modern game he likes and not inform Pegasus until after the fact. I think he's realized this and is approaching this like a modern duel. Don't forget, even if Pegasus didn't have the eye he still knows Duel Monsters like the back of his hand. He designed the game, after all. I've heard that even though he's not directly involved in character design as frequently as he was in the beginning, he still approves every card."

She furrowed her brows. "I still don't see his plan."

"You'll know it when you see it."

"Since I'm feeling generous today I'll let you go first, although how you'll win with those two is a mystery to me." He laughed in an unsettling way. Yugi wanted to punch him, and this time it might not have been the shadows talking. That sort of smugness always got on Yugi's nerves. That was the same laugh his childhood tormentors won.

"Mystical elf, attack Bakura's person directly!"

"Can you do that?" Tea whispered.

Honestly, he wasn't sure. "If it was treated like an actual battle...maybe. We only saw bits and pieces of the Pharaoh's memory. Who knows how many of the intricate details we missed?"

The monster was smaller than it's regular counterpart but it was fast. I dodged Bakura's monster and hit him directly.

"Now that wasn't very sporting of you!"

* * *

 _Pegasus pov_

Bakura still knew how to play by relatively modern rules, and he had no doubt that he would use them to twist this game. He might have tried fool him, but Pegasus was aware that Bakura was not content to play by the old rules when the new ones would be to his advantage. That's why he attacked with Mystical Elf. Truthfully it was the first low attack monster that came to mind. It was one of his original cards and he drafted it on a canvas himself. He had a theory to test. "Mystical Elf, attack Bakura's person directly!"

"Defend me!" Bakura's monster jumped to his defense but the elf dodged him and cast a spell directly at him. The force of the attack knocked Bakura back a bit, but he steadied himself.

"My turn! Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, attack him directly!"

Both of Pegasus' monsters stood directly in front of him and successfully shielded him.

Now he Turned his Blue Eyes Toon Dragon on Bakura. He had chosen this monster for his own personal attachment to toon monsters. It crushed Gorz the Emissary of Darkness easily. Too easily, in fact. It had occurred to him that Pegasus might might him to win this round so that he could put on a spectacle for the second in order to showcase his power.

"Now now, that's unsporsporting of you. You're much more fun than Yugi. You don't disappoint do you Pegasus? Let's see how you fare on the next round."

The shadows became thicker and he heard it. Her voice was like a melody always playing in his head. How could he ever forget it? When he let his mind be still he could hear it. There was something so purely beautiful about the person that you love, even with all of their imperfections because as time and distance had taught him, the small things didn't matter. It didn't matter that she liked to casually drum her fingers on the table when the room was quiet, or that she piled her desk and the floor on her side of the bed so full of books that she insisted on climbing across him at night just to go to sleep. Well, that might have just been an excuse to kiss him, but she really didn't need to go through all of those theatrics just for that. Isn't that what he was doing? He thought to himself. He was just playing this ridiculous charade knowing that he was about to die because some phantom that looked just like his wife was watching. How pathetic.

There was something off about her voice anyway. It had an air of coldness that she didn't possess, like an angel on their throne of righteousness sitting above the world watching it burn.

He looked up at her in question and she smiled, "This is it Max," she said in a voice that cut straight through his heart. Tears burned at his eyes but he wanted to giggle like a child. She sounded so much like her, his darling Cecilia. He should have known since the goddess had a face that very much resembled hers, but he had thought nothing of it. Of course a goddess would have her face. It was only natural. There had always been something divine about the love they had shared so that was the most believable part of the whole shadow game business. "This is your judgement day. Here the wicked will meet their reward, whether it is the fiery pits of hell or the waiting jaws of amat. You have piled sin upon sin on your soul." More quietly she said, "Let us see if you have redeemed yourself." Even as spoke the words that might damn him he found himself drinking in every last word like a man dying of thirst.

Pegasus bowed with real reverence. "What task do you wish for me to perform?"

"The task is simple. You will find out if your heart is light enough to safely cross the bridge." He took a breath and resigned himself to the loss of his soul. He had done too much harm in his youth, and he was still a businessman. He had lied, murdered, cheated, and dared to covet that which no living man was meant to obtain. Still, he had the boyish impulse to impress the beautiful woman gazing down on him so he decided that if he was going to lose his soul he would do it with grace.

He squared his shoulders and strode across the bridge to his destiny. With his head held high he made his way across the rickety bridge two planks at a time. No amount of tip toeing would save him now, but old habits died hard. Despite the awesome power granted by a certain artifact he was still only human. It creaked and shook with each step, but somehow he made it across. How on Earth was his soul light enough to cross? He had lied, kidnapped, stolen, and allowed greed and desperation to rule him. He coveted something that he had no right to. If there was any logic to this game of Bakura's he should have already lost his soul.

On the other side of the bridge was a crowded city The smell of car exhaust and sound of delivery trucks coming to a screeching halt all seemed more real than anything Industrial Illusions or Kaiba Corporation would ever be able to create. Of course they had their virtual reality consoles, but even the best virtual reality never quite had the ring of truth. Bakura dealt in arcane and dangerous magic that Pegasus would not touch even in the height of his madness. If he closed his eyes he could sense the difference. On the surface these were normal shadow games, however there was something more lurking underneath. His shadow messengers and ability to travel with the shadows were beyond the scope of the magic of the seven millennium items . So was creating this kind of false reality. According to Yugi the last time the shadow games were released the arena was covered in shadows or limbs or body parts would be made to disappear, but no illusion was ever so complete. The sheer power behind the illusion was extraordinary.

The Cecelia look alike walked into the road and faced him. "This is your true task, my darling. Choose-wisely."

Two children crossed the street without looking. From the distance he could see one of his own monsters approaching. It was heading straight for the girls and Cecelia. Suddenly everything became clear. Bakura was using the darkness in their own hearts against them. It was a brilliant plan, because if it ever came down to Cecelia and someone else, even himself, he would choose her every time. Intellectually he knew that this woman was only conjured up from his memory, but his instinct screamed for him to save her. So that is what he did. He grabbed her arm and threw them both to the side at the expense of the children.

A wave of hysteria bubbled up and he found himself laughing. No matter how many times he tried to change, no matter how many times he tried to move on, he made the same mistake over and over again. He took in the sight of his beloved one last time and closed his eyes. The image of her would have to sustain him in his own personal hell until all of this was over. Yugi was far stronger than he ever was-he would do what was right whatever the cost. They would win, and their victory would free him and the girl. "I suppose that this is it my dear."

Without warning her beautiful face morphed into Bakura's. "You've chosen wrong."

"I'll be taking that!" Bakura violently tore the millennium eye from his socket and he was engulfed in pain. He was unable to hold back the screams that erupted from his chest because it was simply too great. They did not stop until he found himself unable to scream because he was too far gone in his own living nightmare. The shadows forced him to watch his wife die over and over again a thousand different ways. Sometimes it was the sickness, but other times it was Zork or one of his own monsters. With every new death he swore that he could hear her-or rather Bakura's- words echoing _"Here the sinner will meet their reward."_ For that is what he was, a sinner, and he could not decide if he was sorry or not.

* * *

Yugi pov:

Tea gripped his hand so hard that he was starting lose feeling in it. Neither of them dared to voice their doubts about the outcome. They couldn't see what was going on inside the bubble created for Bakura's illusion, but they strained their ears in hopes that the would be able to hear something.

His stomach dropped when he realized that when the shadows faded only Bakura was left standing. "Really that was just too easy! He was even easier than the girl! For a moment I wasn't sure that she would give in. Pegasus on the other hand, for one of the so called 'good guys' his heart was filled with shadows. All I had to do was resurrect his dead wife and he gave in just like that."

"You monster! Who do you think you are?" Tea yelled.

"I'm the viper. I can do whatever I want because you don't have the power to stop me from striking! I will bring about a new new era, and if the likes of Pegasus are all you've got I might as well stop bothering with you all together!" He ran out the door, shadows disappearing behind him, and the students screamed. With no way out the students were forced to stay near their seats. Some sat there in wide eyed shock, some were clinging to each other, and a few of the more clearheaded students were beginning to make their down the arena floor.

A student with a red uniform approached them. He wouldn't meet their eyes, but he still asked his question. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but we've gotta know...what happened? Is that guy gonna come back?"

It was Seto who responded first. "No child, he will not return to this place. Now leave so that I might have a word with these two." He waved the child off.

Tea looked at him oddly. "Are you okay Seto? There's something different about you."

"I assure you that I am fine."

"That's good to hear sir. Are you certain that you do not need to accompany me and Mr. Pegasus to the hospital? You do seem to be acting a bit odd."

"Who are you to question my word? Go take that foolish man to be healed. I will take care of everything else."

"We should leave now so that we can get ready to go."

They quickly walked to the plane with seto two steps in front of them. He paused in the doorway.  
"Seto?"

"I can't let you leave. If you do will lead the entire world to ruin. After all that has happened I cannot allow that to happen. If you will not yield to my wisdom I will force you. Of course I would rather not use force with my cousin's vessel and a lady, but we all must make sacrifices."

A twinge of irritation ran through him. "Priest Seto! You can't do this. I'm running out of time!" Yugi pleaded.

A loud pop sounded and Seto collapsed. Mokuba appeared the pilot's chair in the cockpit From a distance it was hard to tell, but it looked as though he was holding a stun gun. He had only ever seen them in movies, so he could have been wrong. "I was afraid that something like this might happen. Roland notified me about Bakura and then when I arrived he briefed me further on the situation and described my brother's odd behavior. Priest Seto has threatened him before, so it wasn't a huge leap to realize what was happening. He showed them the stun gun."That's exactly why I always keep this on at hand. It's just a stun gun, so he'll be fine, if a bit grouchy when he wakes up. When he made me test it on him the first time he said it made him feel hungover."

Tea stared at him in surprise. "He let you test a stun gun on him? Isn't that...you know, dangerous?"

"Well yeah, how else were we supposed to make sure that it worked on him? You can't really trust something that you haven't designed yourself without testing it first." Now that he thought about it that is exactly something that he would expect Seto to do. He looked at where his brother was lying on the ground. "Now come on you guys! Yugi, help me drag him on board. We'll have to handcuff him to a seat."

Neither man was particularly tall or strong, so Yugi took hold of his legs and Mokuba grabbed his upper back and together they carried him like a large piece of luggage. When Mokuba produced the handcuffs Tea's eyed them doubtfully. "Are you sure he'd be okay with this."

"These are his orders. He told me to handcuff him if he ever becomes a danger. If Priest Seto is still there when he's awake I'll try to reason with him, but considering he's so much like my brother…"

"We should probably just hope that Seto wakes up." Tea asked with a worried voice.

"If not he'll have to stay handcuffed until we get there." The younger man shrugged casually, but he could tell by the way he straightened his back and the hard glint in his eye that he swallowing his feelings about this. Even though Mokuba was a grown adult he was still as devoted to his older brother as ever. "Now come let's go. I'll give you an hour to pack and say goodbye to Akari. I'll pick you up and drop her at my house so that my wife can keep an eye on her. My wife is one of the only people I know who is as fierce as formidable as my brother. She'll be okay while we're gone."

"Are you sure we won't be able to convince Joey, Mai, and Tristan to stay?"

Tea snorted. "You do realize who you're talking about, right? They'd find a way to get there without us, and the last thing we need is those two boneheads doing something stupid. I'm not sure that even Mai is a match for them combined." Those two were now mostly responsible adults, but they were still loyal to the point of stupidity and neither had grown out of their tendency to jump head fast into complicated situations when their friends needed them. Most of the time it was endearing, but now he really wanted those two to stay. They didn't have items, and he would much rather know with absolute certainty that his friends would be safe and would be there to look out for Akari and Mokuba's son in case something went wrong. Still, they were grown men, and if they were intent on going with Yugi and the rest nothing would stand in their way.

Yugi took Tea's hand. "It's going to be okay. We'll only be gone for a few days and then we can tell her all about it when we get back."

 _Author's Note:_ Hi guys! This was a pretty short shadow game but it's one of my longer chapters (between 17 and 18 pages). This was probably the second shadow game that I wrote, but I shelved it because the time wasn't right. I was going to completely re-write it, but in the end I I liked it. Of course I've edited and written another draft, but the bones of it came from a piece of an earlier chapter that I had rejected. I always knew that Bakura would use Cecelia to torture Pegasus, but other parts of this chapter were a surprise even to me. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. Next chapter we should get to hear from someone that we haven't heard anything from in a while. It should be interesting. Things should really start picking up from here. I'm not certain exactly how many chapters we'll have left, but if I had to ballpark it I'd say about six chapters not counting the epilogue? It might be slightly more or less, so don't hold me to that.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!

-TheEagerScribbler


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